Life In the Open
by LindaLeeB
Summary: Follow-on to "Life Goes On" and "And So It Begins". Steve and Danny live openly as a family with Grace as they share joint custody Rachel. Follows Season 2 mostly. Slash Warning. Third in the series.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

_This is the sequel to "Life Goes On" and "And So It Begins". Happy Reading._

The summer passed quickly for the McGarrett-Williams family. Grace was in heaven during her weeks with Steve and Danny. She swam most days at the private beach and had even talked Danno into joining her. Kono had continued surfing lessons with Grace and Danno; both were becoming competent novices.

Steve, Danny, and Grace spent another idyllic weekend at the cabin. Danny was certain that they couldn't possibly enjoy themselves as much as before. He was wrong. It rained Saturday evening after supper and Steve lit the fireplace to take the chill out of the cabin. The family spent time playing Uno in front of the fire. Danny made hot chocolate with marshmallows left over from smores. Grace was relentless at Uno. It seemed she was always getting Steve with the "Draw 5" card. He lost every game and loved every minute.

The best time was the week they spent in New Jersey. Steve would deny it but he loved visiting Danny's other home. Danny's parents had been gracious to the max. After Steve called them Mr. and Mrs. Williams, they insisted they were just "Mom" and "Dad" to him. Steve choked up the first time he said "Mom". He mother had been gone for a long time; he never thought he would have another chance to be a son. Danny's mother understood Steve's emotion and hugged him close.

"Thank you for making my Danny so happy. I don't worry about him anymore. You understand him and accept him. Rachel always wanted to change him. You love him the way he is."

"He's made me very happy too. He accepts me and loves me. And Grace, he shares Grace with me. She's my daughter too."

Steve and Danny shared their plans for a civil union ceremony on New Year's Day in Hawaii. Danny's family excitedly made travel plans to attend the ceremony. Danny's sisters teased that he had landed the hunkiest husband of all of them. Steve demonstrated his new proficiency with kids playing 'Shadow in the Dark' with Danny's nephews one evening in the basement of the Williams home. They turned the lights off and Steve found the boys one at a time no matter how silent or still they were. They played the game three more nights and he found the boys every time. They thought he was some kind of Ninja, an opinion Danny shared.

Mom made lasagna for her family, and Steve made his mother's recipe spaghetti recipe one night. The Williams family was loud and chaotic, and Steve never enjoyed evening meals more. Grace visited her cousins daily. They played games and watched movies. It was difficult going back home at the end of the week. Steve understood how Danny had ached for this home when first moved to Hawaii. It wasn't real estate that Danny missed. It was family. Steve would miss them too. Now they shared memories of Danny's favorite Greek restaurant and Coney Dogs.

Rachel and Stan continued their efforts to put their marriage back together. Early in their marriage, they socialized constantly and made the rounds of parties and country clubs. Their diminished circumstances meant that they spent more time at home. They realized that their so-called friends were mostly business acquaintances. Invitations stopped once people realized that Stan couldn't professionally benefit them anymore.

Their regular staff was reduced to a housekeeper and another woman who came in once a week to clean. A lawn service kept the grounds of the estate pristine. Rachel's pregnancy had progressed to the point where she was beginning to show. During the weeks that Grace spent with Danny and Steve, she had difficulty filling the days.

Sometimes, she would ask Danny if Grace could stay with her during the day while the men were at work. She even invited Aleka over to play with Grace. They had tea parties and Rachel regaled them with stories of growing up in London. They visited some of the museums and had picnics in the park. Grace was relieved that her mommy seemed happier now. Step-Stan was smiling more often too.

At least once a month, Rachel asked Danny and Steve to take an extra weekend. It was a win-win situation for both families. Rachel gained extra time alone with Stan those weekends. She was discovering that maybe there was a little passion on her part after all now that she had cleared some of the Danny-memories away.

Danny and Steve cherished the extra time with Grace. Steve couldn't imagine life without their precious Grace. After the way Danny ranted about Step-Stan, Steve was amazed that Danny shared his daughter so freely with him. Grace could always tell if her men had a bad day, or if one of them was sad. She always knew how to sooth their souls.

One Saturday morning, Danny was watching cartoons with Grace while Steve went for a marathon swim session. She finally asked a question that had been nagging at her for weeks. "Danno, I want to ask you something, and I don't want to upset you."

Danny muted the TV and pulled her onto his lap. "Monkey, your questions never upset me. Ask away."

"Uncle Steve became Step-Steve when we became a family. But I don't want to call him Step-Steve anymore."

Danny was really puzzled at this. Danny had been gratified at the growing devotion between Steve and Grace. He never felt that Steve was trying to replace him as Grace's father. Instead, he took it as a sign of a wonderful family unity he had lacked with Rachel. If Steve was devoted to Grace as a father, he was equally devoted to Danny as his partner.

"Why don't you want to call him Step-Steve?"

"I don't think he's a step anything. He's become another daddy for me. I want to call him daddy but I'm afraid it will upset you. You have always been my daddy, my Danno. But he's become my daddy too. Are you upset with me?"

Danny hugged Grace tightly. "No Grace, I'm not upset. I think it's wonderful that you feel that way. To Steve, you are his daughter. That makes him your daddy too. If that's what you want, then that's what you should do."

"Thanks Danno. I love you." Grace sat hugging Danny for a while. Then they both dressed for the day. There was yard work to do and they hadn't done the grocery shopping yet. Saturdays were always busy with family chores. They all worked together and accomplished a great deal as a team.

Later that evening, Steve, Danny, and Grace were watching a movie and sharing a bowl of popcorn. Grace loved sitting between her two dads. They teased her and teased each other. There was always laughter in the house now. It chased away all the dark places created by the death of Steve's parents.

Grace was surprised that Daddy Steve (as she was calling him in her mind now) could be so silly. Danno had always been her playmate because they shared a deep connection. But Daddy Steve's imagination came up with all kinds of absurd games for them to engage in. One Sunday, Danno had been ill with a 24-hour virus. Grace and Steve spent an afternoon on safari, creeping from one room to another seeking wild game. Another afternoon, Grace and Steve put Barbie and her friends through BUDS training. Ken, the wuss, didn't last the first hour.

As the movie credits rolled, Grace crawled on Steve's lap. He instinctively hugged her, relishing the affection Grace so freely gave him. "Daddy, will you take me upstairs to bed?"

Steve loosened his hold on Grace, expecting her to go to Danny now. She tugged on Steve's t-shirt. When he looked down, she said, "Daddy, will you take me upstairs to bed?"

Steve looked at Danny, not really understanding what was happening. "I think she means you," Danny told Steve. Danny realized that Grace had chosen this time to try the "Daddy" name out on Steve.

Steve was both touched and afraid. The first time that Grace had called him Step-Steve, he remembered thinking that he had hoped for a better status than Step-Stan. But he never meant to compete with or replace Danny. He would never come between Danny and Grace.

Danny could see the mixed emotions in Steve's eyes. "It's okay Steve. We talked about it today." He put his hand to Steve's cheek now and pulled him over for a kiss. Then he rested his forehead on Steve's and said, "Grace has two dads now who her love her more than anything. We're a family. You've become her parent too."

Steve kissed Danny again, and then rose to take Grace up to bed. He turned and asked, "You coming Danno?"

Later that night, Steve lay in bed with Danny curled at his side. "You knew she was going to do that?"

"Yeah, she was afraid it would in some way hurt me that she wanted to call you daddy. I told her that if she was your daughter, then that would make you daddy. You have shown us both so much love; you deserve equal billing."

Steve turned to face Danny and stroked his face. "You and Grace have shown me so much love too. I never imagined it could be like this." He kissed Danny and he ran his hand down Danny's side. Then he flipped Danny on his back. This was a night when Steve was in charge.

Some nights, Danny controlled their lovemaking. He assaulted Steve's senses with his hands and his mouth. Some nights, they battled for control, their lovemaking more like a sensual form of hand-to-hand combat. Some nights, it was a give and take, a physical manifestation of their 'carguments'.

Tonight, Steve took control, placing Danny's hand on the slats of the headboard and told Danny, "Don't let go." Then Steve trailed wet kisses down Danny's torso. It took all of Danny's concentration to follow Steve's orders. Although Steve played this game often, his techniques were never the same. Danny never knew what was coming next; that was part of the excitement. Keeping the audio portion of the program on mute as another challenge. Steve perversely loved to challenge Danny when Grace was down the hall.

Much later, Danny and Steve slept. It was quiet in the McGarrett-Williams home. School would be starting soon, another speed bump in their new routine. Homework would become part of their evening and weekend schedule. The dads would have "Meet the Teacher" nights, PTA meetings, fundraisers, and an occasional field trip to chaperone.

News of Steve and Danny's relationship had spread quickly after their conversation with the governor and the team. Steve and Danny were always diligent to keep their demeanor professional at work. The problem was that even before now, people speculated how long they had been married.

They still had their 'carguments', almost on a daily basis. The partner assignments changed periodically, the same as before. Steve tried to spend some time with each of the team during the week, especially Kono and Lori. He knew that Chin had been well-trained by his father. Kono was officially past rookie status but still was the youngest of the team. Steve was unsure of the extent of Lori's training and used their time together to asses her capabilities.

During slack periods, Steve would take the team on training exercises. It kept them sharp and prepared. Steve thought of it like football practice. He passed the ball to his key receivers day after day in practice so it would be second nature in a clutch play. They knew where his pass would be; he knew where they would be on the field. He wanted his 5-0 team to play with the same assurance.

Steve mostly conducted his investigations following proper procedure. Danny seldom had to remind Steve to call for backup. Danny also knew that what he had thought was recklessness was instead Steve's confidence in his own ability. Their personal relationship had helped their 5-0 partnership. They now had a sense of how the other processed information and made decisions. There was a new level of trust.

Steve and Danny were working on renovating the kitchen. The appliances hadn't been updated since his mother's death. Steve contracted most of the work out; installing cabinets and kitchen counters were not his strong suit. Steve and Danny both liked to cook on the weekends and needed more space. Grace always wanted to help so they needed a spot for her to work.

Life had been going smoothly for the McGarrett-Williams family. Danny couldn't understand why Steve committed to the cage match with Chuck Liddell. The case started out routinely, if finding the victim tied to a chair at the bottom of his swimming pool could be considered routine.

_To Be Continued._


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

_Spoiler Alert: Contains details from Episode 6._

Danny had made peace with the state of Hawaii over the last few months; however, something would happen every now and then that set him off. Grace's first day of school was one of those things.

"Steven, it's the first of August. How can it be the first day of school? In Jersey, the kids have another month to sleep late and not worry about homework." Danny's life a year ago had been so miserable and disjointed that he lost track of when Grace had started school. He only had her one night a week or every other weekend. She usually had her homework finished by the time that Danny picked her up.

"Danny, take it easy. Grace likes school, don't you Grace?" Steve turned to their daughter, primly dressed in her private school uniform. Her hair was neatly braided, courtesy of her Daddy Steve. That's what Grace called him when she was with both dads. When they were alone, he was simply "Daddy". Steve never tired of hearing her call him that.

Rachel was shocked the first time that she heard Grace say it. Danny had always been very territorial with Grace, yet he obviously didn't object. She stayed while Grace said her goodbyes to the men, and then told Grace to go on into the house. Danny and Rachel had become friendly now that they had made their peace over the past. Rachel didn't want that to change.

Rachel looked at Steve and asked, "You're Daddy Steve now?"

Steve blushed and simply said, "It was Grace's idea. She started calling me that last weekend."

Rachel looked questioningly at Danny. "You don't object after all these months of objecting to everything that Stan did for Grace."

It was Danny's turn to blush. "I was angry about everything. Stan had everything that I wanted. He got to be more of a dad than me. I was jealous. I apologize. I should have appreciated that he treated Grace so well."

Rachel didn't know why she was so surprised at Danny's response. Danny had changed so much from last year. He answered all of her calls promptly. She hadn't heard a sarcastic remark in months. Danny asked about her pregnancy and showed concern when she had some mild complications. Steve and Danny had even helped Grace shop for a birthday present for Rachel; they clearly had helped wrap the gift, judging from the amount of tape used.

"Thank you for that Danny. And if Grace wanted to call Stan "Daddy" too?" Rachel knew that she was pressing her luck but she wanted to be clear on this.

"It's up to Grace. She's a very loving child. I wouldn't object. You, Stan, Steve, Grace, and I are all family. What is good for Grace is good for all of us. She doesn't need us to be at odds."

Rachel finally understood the depth of the love between Steve and Danny. Only love could have healed the pain that Danny had carried with him since the divorce. Rachel stepped forward and briefly hugged both men. "Be careful at work. I'll see you next Friday."

Danny hadn't realized that he had been holding his breath. He exhaled deeply now and turned to Steve. "Why do I feel like I've just dodged a bullet here?"

"I think you probably did. It was a good thing to apologize. I know you had a lot of problem with Stan and his money when we first met."

"Well, I felt like he was buying my daughter's affection and I couldn't compete on my cop's salary. That was really a boneheaded idea. I knew that Grace couldn't be bought. I was so jealous and so angry."

"Danny, I knew you then, remember. How many times did I have to hear the Darth Vader death march when the lawyer called? How many times did you slam your cell phone on the nearest surface? I ran out of excuses on the paperwork to requisition a new phone."

"Steve, you helped me get here. I love you so much, you and Grace."

"Babe, you helped me too. I can look back on my life here with Mom, Dad, and Mary Ann without feeling only pain. I remember that we had some really happy times. And now I have you and Grace. I have a Mom and Dad and more sisters too. Come on, let's go to work."

Steve and Danny headed home at the end of shift that afternoon. Instead of watching the baseball game that Steve had DVR'd for Danny, they went upstairs. There was no need to lock the door tonight. There was no need to keep it quiet tonight. No one took control tonight. Indeed, no one was able to control their passion tonight.

They went downstairs long enough to finish leftovers for supper along with a couple of beers. They spent an hour soaking in the big tub with the jets turned on shortly after midnight. It was almost 3 a.m. before they finally slept.

When Steve awoke, sunlight was streaming in the bedroom. He was alone and Danny's side of the bed was cool to the touch. He could smell the enticing aroma of hot coffee and saw a steaming mug on his bedside table. Danny walked in the bedroom with his own mug, looking way too chipper.

"Morning babe. I see that you've finally joined the land of the living." Danny looked smug; it wasn't often that he was awake before Steve.

"How can you even move this morning? I feel like I've been hit by a truck." Steve was sore but very satisfied today.

"Yeah well, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Does this mean you don't want a rematch?"

"You really want to…again? I think I broke something last night?" This was new. Steve never turned down sex. Of course, he never had a partner like Danny.

Danny laughed and shook his head. "No, I don't think I can either. I'm just jerking your chain." Danny put his cup down and slid next to Steve. He only had boxers on, which was more than Steve could claim.

Steve was sprawled on his belly, one arm hanging off the bed. Danny stroked Steve's spine because, well, because it was there and he was there. It was an innocent gesture and Steve should not have found it arousing. In a neat move that only a SEAL could pull off, he had Danny on his back. Steve pinned him there with a "now I've got you where I want you" look on his face.

Danny glanced down to see that Steve had 'risen' to the occasion. "Really babe, because I'm thinking that you don't have one more time left in you right now."

Danny would learn never to taunt a SEAL. Danny's boxers were on the floor and the coffee was cool before Steve had a chance to drain his mug. Steve finally revived enough to take a hot shower. Danny knocked on the shower door and asked, "If I join you, will you promise to keep your hands to yourself."

"No problem Danno. I really think that was my last hurrah for a while." For a change, the men exited the shower while there was still hot water left. They spent the day on the couch, watching the baseball game and old movies. They cuddled a lot, their passions spent for now. This was a first for them. No chores were done, no errands run. They would pay for it tomorrow. For today, they were in a bubble of quiet contentment.

That contentment lasted about ten days, until the first day of school. Danny hadn't liked going to school. He enjoyed the freedom of summer days and hated homework. He did well enough at school mostly because he was so smart.

Steve, on the other hand, loved school. He had been a bright and very curious boy. He loved all subjects. Math helped him solve problems. English gave him words to express himself. Geography let him explore strange lands. History let him visit the past. Science let him…blow up things. He hoped Grace had a lot of science homework.

Steve folded down the brown lunch sack and handed it to Grace. "Here you go Grace. I put an extra granola bar in there for Ali. Let's load up now. First one in the car gets to drive." Steve added the last comment as he was almost out the front door. That left Danny to set the alarm and lock up.

"You always drive. I had hoped after all this time, you would learn to take turns in the driver's seat." Danny was still agitated about school and was working his way up to a full rant.

Steve enjoyed stopping a rant now almost as much as he enjoyed initiating one. He stopped in his tracks, causing a pileup by the people behind him. "You want to drive this morning? Here." Steve gave Danny a kiss and the keys. He winked at Grace, who was giggling at the look on Danny's face.

That stopped Danny in mid-rant. He felt mildly deflated; he knew Steve did that on purpose. Still, there was no way he could continue. Grace was watching too closely. "Thank you Steven, for letting me drive my own car."

Grace talked excitedly about her new teachers and being with her friends. She gave both men a hug and a "I love you" before exiting the Camaro. Steve had a wave of sadness, which surprised him.

He looked at Danny and saw a similar emotion on his face. "She's growing up too fast Steve. Grace is in fourth grade now. Rachel warned me that some of the older girls in her class are showing early signs of going into puberty."

Steve looked horrified at that comment. As far as he was concerned, one of the best things about being with Danny was that he didn't have to deal with the emotional tailspin women went into every 28 days. Danny never asked him to stop on the way home for feminine supplies. He wandered down that aisle of the Wal-Mart one day on his way to the soap aisle. He was amazed at the variety of mini's and maxi's on the shelves. And some had 'wings'. Why on earth would they have wings? It wasn't like they were going to fly.

Danny laughed hard at the look on Steve's face. He knew that he had looked the same when Rachel told him. He hadn't slept much that night at all. "Calm down super-SEAL. Grace is not there yet. I just wanted to warn you."

"Thanks Danny. Now I want to dangle a suspect off a very tall building. And after I've worked so hard on not being me."

Danny drove down the street from Grace's school and pulled into a deserted parking lot. Only then did he lean over and give Steve a consoling kiss. "When the time comes, we'll get through it together."

Steve needed the consolation, and not only about Grace. He had a meeting first thing this morning with Joe White. Danny dropped Steve back at the house so Steve could retrieve his truck. Steve had insisted that he come along to drop Grace for her first day of school. Steve stopped by Rainbow and picked up a couple of loco mocos before heading to Magic Island. He hoped the food would soften the blow of whatever Joe had to tell him.

Joe had not been particularly helpful pulling audio off the tape of Wo Fat, Governor Jameson, and John McGarrett. Joe had told him that he was working on something and it would take a couple of weeks. It had been much longer than that.

Steve was surprised to see a pretty brunette sitting at a picnic table looking at a laptop. Joe accepted the box of food and introduced Kensi Blye from NCIS. She was an expert lip reader and was watching the video tape.

Kensi told Steve that the early part of the tape was mostly small talk. "Then, your dad turned to Wo Fat and told him, 'I want to know about Shelburn'. Wo Fat responds with 'Who told you about Shelburn'?" The rest of the conversation was lost as John McGarrett turned away from the camera.

Steve had never heard about a Shelburn. Kensi told him that she had run it through the computer without result. Steve thought that maybe Mokoto might have some idea. Before he could pursue the matter, Steve was called away for a case.

Chin briefed Steve and Danny when they arrived. The victim was Jake Griffin, a popular restaurateur. He had been duct taped to a chair, shot, and then dropped into the swimming pool. This case was the latest in a string of home invasions, and the thieves got away with quite a haul.

Danny saw a picture of Griffin with a boy. When he heard that Josh Griffin lived with his dad, he knew the boy would be walking in any minute. He couldn't let the son stumble on the crime scene for his father's death.

Steve tried to stop Danny as he ran out the front and then realized where Danny was headed. Leave it to Danny to think of the son. Steve appreciated that Danny was the one to talk to Josh. Sometimes, cases like this hit too close to home for Steve.

Steve paired with Lori to interview another couple victimized by the same assailants. Together, they were able to jog the memory of the couple; valet parking was the common element among victims. Danny and Kono got the same information from the couple they interviewed.

The team pinpointed the suspects to four employees of the valet company; they found evidence when they raided the suspects' apartment. They also discovered another invasion was likely in progress. Kono was able to identify the location of the home in question. The full team went in to take down the robbers.

Steve threw a flash grenade and cleared the front of the house with Kono, disabling two of the robbers. Chin, Lori, and Danny cleared the back of the house. Danny got the drop on the third man and took the fourth man out with a flying tackle.

It was already late when the prisoners were transported back to HQ. Emelina had already put Grace down for the night in Ali's room by the time that Danny went by to pick her up. Steve stayed at HQ to finish up and promised that he wouldn't be long. Danny was tucking Grace in upstairs when Steve came home.

Grace was sleepy but she was glad to be home. She had sat both dads down early on and told them that she wanted them to pick her up whenever they ran late, even if she was already in bed. She understood that they might have to work all night on a very rare case, but otherwise, she wanted to be home.

Danny was just leaving Grace's room when Steve softly walked in. "She's almost asleep again but made sure to tell me that you needed to come in no matter how late. She said you don't sleep well if she doesn't hug you."

Steve gave a sweet smile at that. "Yeah, she's a real softie." Steve went over and sat on the side of the bed. Grace stirred and opened her eyes.

"Hi Daddy. I wanted to say good night. I love you." She raised her arms to pull Steve in for a tight hug.

"I love you too Grace. Sleep tight." He kissed her forehead and stroked her hair for a few minutes. Grace was asleep when walked out in the hallway. He found Danny in the kitchen, packing Grace's lunch.

"No matter how often she calls me daddy, it always get me." Steve pulled a can of tomato soup out of the pantry. He heated it up on the stove and made a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches to go with the soup. "It was a good catch on the son. I'm glad that he didn't walk in and see his dad like that."

"We did good today. We saved that family tonight." Danny put Grace's lunch in the fridge for tonight and sat down at the table. Steve set two bowls of soup and the sandwiches on the table; they ate in a tired silence. After they were finished, Danny locked up and set the alarm while Steve cleaned up the kitchen. They climbed the stairs together, showered, and were asleep shortly before midnight.

Tomorrow would prove to be an interesting day. Their case was not over yet.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

_Spoiler Alert: Contains details from Episode 6._

The first priority of the day was to interrogate their suspects. The last man Danny nailed called for a lawyer but denied involvement in the Griffin case. He dared them to find any property from the Griffin home in their stash of stolen goods. Even though he had served as a parking valet at Griffin's restaurant, he had never met the man. Griffin's sister, Samantha Martel, had been in charge, as least until she had been recently taken off the payroll.

Meanwhile, Max had some interesting information for Lori. Griffin had been shot before being taped to the chair. Back at 5-0, the team discussed the sister's change in status with Griffin's company. The company would only say she left to work with the Griffin's charitable foundation. Steve confirmed that Griffin had opened several gyms to keep the island kids off the streets and out of trouble.

Steve had to step out to take a phone call from Joe; they would be meeting with Mokoto the following afternoon. Joe was returning from a quick trip to the supermarket when he sensed an intruder in his apartment; it was Wo Fat, who had thoughtfully removed the bullets from the gun hidden in the freezer.

Wo Fat wanted to know what Joe was up to; Joe responded by asking about Shelburn. Wo Fat's reply to that was menacing. "Tell John McGarrett that his son will be along soon enough." Then Wo Fat pulled a gun on Joe. A fight ensued, with Joe taking the worst of the damage. Wo Fat had a phone cord wrapped around Joe's neck and would have killed him if Joe hadn't hit him with a butcher block. Joe grabbed Wo Fat's gun from the floor but Wo Fat was out the door. It had been a very close call for Joe.

Steve and Danny paid a visit to Samantha Martel. She was now a suspect because she would be in charge of the company until her nephew became an adult. She denied any part in the murder and maintained that she voluntarily left the company to work with the foundation. When asked if she owned a gun, she admitted that Jake had taken one from a fighter who trained at the gym.

A trip to the gym to get the gun yielded some interesting evidence. Some wipes found there matched the same chemical found on the inside of the duct tape used on Jake. The gun was missing from Jake's desk. The fighter who brought the gun in, Vitor Boriero, had a record for robbery. After being warned against engaging Boriero in hand-to-hand, Danny and Steve went in search of the new suspect. Danny found the gun in plain sight in Boriero's Jeep, and the men chased the suspect up to the roof of his building.

Danny dropped out of the chase when the suspect and Steve leapt to the next rooftop. As the pair ran atop one building after another, Danny followed their progress in the Camaro. Finally, Boriero dropped to the ground and ran inside a surfboard manufacturer. Danny and Steve followed him in, guns drawn. Unfortunately Boriero got the drop on Steve and knocked his gun away. Steve was forced to fight the big man. Steve finally took Boriero down only to realize he couldn't have murdered Griffin; he was in the hospital at the time of death.

Boriero implicated Marshall Martel, Samantha's husband. He wanted to manage Boriero and other fighters using foundation money, something Jake would never agree to. Martel had only meant to scare Griffin; the death was an accident. The case was really closed now.

There was one small problem. When Steve took Boriero down, he dislocated the man's shoulder. The fighter was booked for a charity match. When Steve discovered this, he volunteered to take Boriero's place. He vowed to put on a good show.

Which is how Steve found himself at the Blaisdell Center, fighting former MMA champion, Chuck Liddell. Danny vacillated between being furious and terrified. He knew that Steve was trained in combat but this was something else. At least Grace wasn't with them this week. Steve and Danny had a blowout the night before fight. Danny vowed to stay away from the fight but capitulated at the last minute.

It was Lori who helped Steve tape his hands; Steve thought that she might have been flirting with him but he was too distracted to be sure. He knew he was going to get his ass whipped out there. He hoped at least to get a few good hits in and not get his face re-arranged.

The whole gang showed up. Chin, Kono, Max, Lori, and Kamekona were in the audience. Danny put Steve's mouthpiece in before Steve stepped in the steel cage. Every time Steve went down, Danny yelled at him to stay there. Steve was finally knocked out before too much damage was done. He shoulder would be aching tonight, and he'd be lucky if his eye didn't swell shut.

Danny taped his own hands and threatened to give Steve a beating. The mood in the locker room was part relief and part pride that Steve had held up as well as he did. The good mood didn't last for long.

Steve got a text from Joe White to meet him a Mokoto's now. Joe met Steve on the driveway; Mokoto has been tortured and was dead. Joe told Steve that Wo Fat attacked him the day before and blamed Mokoto's death on their continued investigations. He warned Steve that Wo Fat will cause more trouble if Steve doesn't stop. Of course Steve will not stop.

Steve called HPD to investigate Mokoto's murder. Steve didn't want 5-0 to take point on the case because of his previous involvement with Wo Fat. He gave his statement to the responding detective; Joe had already given his to another detective.

It was early evening before Steve returned home. He was in a very foul mood from the scene at Mokoto's. He resented that Joe kept trying to call him off Wo Fat. He expected Joe to understand. Then he remembered the fight with Danny last night. Although Danny had come to the match, he knew Danny was still upset with him. He expected Round Two once he walked in the door.

Steve walked in the house and expected to find Danny waiting for him. The house was quiet; where was Danny? Steve walked to the kitchen to get a beer. Looking out the back, he saw Danny sitting in one of the two old chairs down by the beach. He had a cooler by the chairs and was drinking a beer. As Steve watched, Danny took another beer out and set it on the arm of the second chair. Steve realized that it was for him. Steve opened the back door and walked out toward the water.

"I heard your truck pull up. Chin called me with the news about Mokoto. I'm sorry to hear about him Steve. I know his information helped clear you. It's not your fault. That bastard, Wo Fat, would have eventually gotten around to him. He was a loose end."

This was not what Steve expected. He expected Danny to start in on him again about the fight. Steve was itching for a fight. God, he needed to yell at someone. He was so angry that Wo Fat had claimed another victim.

"You still want to fight? Because I'm thinking you're really mad now and need to take it out on somebody. Go ahead babe. I can take it." Danny never looked at him, just kept his gaze on the waves rolling ashore.

Steve dropped into the other chair and popped the top off the beer. He took a long drink and watched the waves with Danny for a while. Finally he spoke. "I saw what he did to that old man. Mokoto was in a wheelchair. He never had a chance." Steve took another drink of beer. "I don't want to take it out on you. I thought you would still be mad about the fight."

"I am babe. You and I need to come to an agreement about you taking stupid risks. But that can wait." Danny reached over to snag Steve's hand and just held on to it. Danny knew that Steve didn't need to fight with him now. There would be a better time when they could sit down and talk without all the emotion Danny felt last night. For tonight, Danny just needed to support Steve. He suspected that Joe White was giving Steve a hard time about Wo Fat.

"Have you eaten? I could use some food." Steve was still a little off-balance. He never had anyone to get him through the dark moods that came with his line of work. Steve tried to physically work out his frustrations; when that didn't work, he would turn to alcohol. This would be better.

"No, I haven't eaten yet. There are a couple of steaks in the fridge. We could grill those up unless you need one for your eye. There's a cold pack in the freezer that might be better." Danny turned to Steve to assess the extent of the swelling. He gently touched the bruise on Steve's cheek. "Does it hurt much."

Steve closed his eyes and leaned into Danny's touch. "Not when you touch it like that. I didn't mean to worry you. I knew Liddell wouldn't rough me up too bad. We talked before the match. He knew I had training and could take a punch. He wasn't holding back; he just wouldn't go in for the kill."

"It would have helped if I had known that. I like your face the way it is. In fact, I confess to liking your entire body the way it is. I would hate it if someone re-arranged any of the parts."

Steve laughed now. "Weston said something like that in the locker room before the fight, something about my nose wouldn't look good on the other side of my face. I think she was flirting with me. Maybe she knew we had fought and was hoping for something on the rebound."

Danny frowned at that idea. "You wouldn't do that, would you? You wouldn't get drunk and sleep with her, would you?"

"Danny, that sounds like something that happens in a soap opera. I'm not sleeping with anyone but you. I am completely committed to you. I don't want to be with anyone but you." Steve stood and pulled Danny up for a hug. "I love you Danny. I'm not going to screw this up."

The men finally moved toward the house to fix supper. Their mood was somber; Mokoto's death was a reminder that Wo Fat would remain a danger as long as he was at large. Echoes of the ugly fight the night before still hung in the air.

_24 hours earlier_

"Steve, are out of your mind going up against that guy? Have you seen him fight? Have you seen what he's done to his opponents?" Danny was pacing the floor in the living room and yelling at Steve. It didn't help that Steve was calmly sitting on the couch drinking a beer. Danny's arms were moving faster than his legs. Steve thought Danny might go up in flames, a case of spontaneous combustion.

"Danny, I know what I'm doing. I don't expect to beat the guy but I don't think he will grind me into the floor either. I'm a trained…", Steve started, only to have Danny cut him off.

"SEAL, yes Stephen, I know. You're a trained SEAL. You can handle anything the badass world throws at you. I accept that occasionally we might find ourselves in a dangerous situation. But for you to volunteer to stand in that cage and let that guy throw punches at you, it's unnecessary."

"Danny, if the Liddell match doesn't go on, the foundation will have to refund the ticket money. Griffin is dead; I can't do anything about that. At least, I can see that this fundraiser goes off as planned."

"Steve, you have a family now. You can't keep taking risks like this."

"Yes Danny, I have a family now. I'm domesticated. I take out the trash; I make the beds; I cook and clean. I even braid Grace's hair. Do you want to make me into some kind of house pet? I follow your rules or else." Steve was finally off the couch and yelling back at Danny.

"Yeah, you have such a shitty life now. No more traipsing around the globe tracking down terrorists. You're stuck on this god-forsaken island, eating pineapple on your damned pizza and shave ice for dessert."

"It comes out now. You still hate Hawaii. It's a paradise here and you're still stuck on hating everybody and everything here."

Danny knew the argument was out of control. He had enough of them with Rachel to recognize the danger now. They would say things that they didn't mean. It was time to stop before the damage was permanent. Danny softened his tone and said, "No I don't hate it here. My family is here now, you and Grace. I don't want to lose either of you. I need to go for a walk."

Danny went for a walk on the beach. Steve was gone when he came back and still not back when Danny went to bed. Steve's side of the bed was rumpled the next morning but there was no sign of Steve. Danny found out later that Steve was in the gym at HQ, using the punching bag and sparring with Chin. Steve had avoided him until right before the match.

_Back to the present_

Danny grilled the steaks tonight while Steve iced his eye. They ate in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. When the kitchen was cleaned, Danny went out to the garage. Steve heard the freezer door out there open and close. Danny came back in holding a two large bags of ice.

"Let's go super-SEAL. You need to ice that shoulder down."

"Danny, what are you planning? You've got enough ice there to keep Kamekona supplied for a while."

"Where do you think I got the ice? I'm going to make you an ice bath for your shoulder and all the other parts of your body that hurt. I talked to one of the trainers after you left and that was the recommendation."

"Danny, you were still mad at me and you took time anyway to help me?"

"Yeah, you big goof. I was mad, and I'm still a little mad. But I hate to see you hurting. I love you."

"I love you too Danno. This is going to sting. And It's probably going to leave me with a shrinkage problem for the next week."

"I'm sure I can thaw you out when you're feeling better."

The tension drained out of the room now. The men dumped the ice in the big tub and added cool water. Steve stripped down and eyed the tub with trepidation. "It's going to be really cold Danny. Are you sure that's what I'm supposed to do?"

Danny smiled sweetly now. It isn't often you can do something to both help and punish someone at the same time. "I'm positive. You need to stay in for 15 minutes. Then you can take a tepid shower. Now get in."

Steve knew it would be worse if he went in slowly, so he just stepped in and sat down. He let out a shriek at the cold. He edged down so that his shoulder was completely submerged. He didn't think that he had ever been this cold, not even in BUDS training.

Danny knew he wouldn't be able to hold back the laughter at Steve's discomfort. He knew it was petty, but it really was the best thing for the big baby. Danny decided to get his own shower. He let out a loud sigh as the steaming water hit his body.

"I hear you in there. You are enjoying this way too much. Wait until you feel my cold feet tonight. I know just where I'm going to stick them." Steve knew what Danny was doing and knew he should be mad. He had to admit that the ice was easing the ache in his shoulder and his back.

Finally, Steve was able to warm himself slightly in the shower. After he dried off, Danny rubbed some balm on his back and massaged the sore muscles. He gave Steve a couple of Aleve and tucked him in bed.

Steve finally spoke. "Are we good here?"

Danny leaned over and kissed Steve. "Yeah, we're good here."

"I hate it when we fight."

"Me too. Go to sleep. Good night Steve. I love you."

"Good night Danno. I love you too."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

_Season 2 started a week after Season One, according to an interview with Alex O'Loughlin. Somehow we're past Halloween now and I've got time to fill in before then. This chapter takes place sometime between Episodes 6 and 7._

Steve's injuries from the Liddell match healed quickly. Things were a little strained with Danny for a few days. Grace's presence in the household helped. Neither man wanted Grace to be aware of their disagreement, and it was easier to actually forgive the other than to pretend everything was okay. They knew that Grace was very perceptive to the mood of the household. The tension at the Edwards' household had caused her a lot of worry, and neither man wanted that for her again. Steve and Danny agreed to put the matter behind them.

Then Steve received a registered letter from the Navy. He was afraid to open it. He was in the reserves and available to be activated if necessary. Ordinarily, he would owe the Navy one weekend a month and two weeks sometime during the year. Because the Navy considered Hawaii such a strategic position, Steve had been granted special circumstances. He often visited the base and helped with SEAL training. He was trained on base, and sometimes he received intel on persons of interest who might prove dangerous to the island. He copied the Navy on reports that might prove helpful to Navy Intelligence. The mutual benefit to the state of Hawaii and the Navy meant that Steve didn't have to give up a weekend every month. He usually conducted his monthly duties during 5-0 slack times, and his pay with 5-0 was reduced by the amount of his Navy check.

The Navy had appreciated his handling of the SEAL who took the U.S. Missouri hostage last year. Steve's mid-air rescue of an unconscious SEAL was becoming lore, and not just locally; it was also being told in the halls of the Naval Academy in Annapolis. There was a time when the Navy was Steve's only home. Now his home was back on the island, and his family was Danny and Grace.

"What do you have there, babe?" Danny walked into Steve's office and sat on the couch.

"It's a registered letter." Steve really didn't want to open it in front of Danny. He knew that he would need time to process the bad news (because good news seldom comes by registered mail).

"Yes, I can see it's a registered letter. Who would send a registered letter to you here?" Danny scooted down on the couch to get a better look at the return address. "To be more specific, why would you get a registered letter from the U. S. Navy? Did you forget to return a boat or something?"

Damn, that's the pitfall of being involved with a detective. He snooped. "I don't know Danny. I'm sure it's nothing important. I'll look at it later." Steve started to put the letter in his desk.

"Whoa there. It must be important if it's coming by registered mail. You might as well open it now. I'm not going anywhere until you do." Danny perched on the side of the desk; now he reached over to put his hand on Steve's arm. "Babe, whatever it is, we'll handle together."

Steve picked up his letter opener and slit the top of the envelope. He finally drew the letter out and unfolded it. He quickly skimmed the contents and then passed the paper to Danny.

"This says you need to report to base for your two weeks active duty on August 15th. You will be deployed to your training location from there." Danny raised his eyebrows in question. "It doesn't say where you'll be going."

"I noticed that Danny. That's not unusual; the Navy is pretty secretive about the movement of key personnel. It's the same way about moving the crews of the submarines. A missile could take out a whole crew; it would leave a sub in port until another crew could be assembled. The Navy has spent millions training personnel. The loss of a team could take years to recover. I can ask around and see if I can get any more information. I think it will be okay Danny. I'm not being deployed, which was my first thought." Steve sat back in his chair and looked at Danny.

Danny was absorbing the information from Steve. He just hated this. He knew that Steve still had commitments to the Navy. "Any chance you'll stay on the island and can come home at night?" Danny knew he was being a baby about the whole thing, but he wasn't sure if he would be able to sleep at night without Steve. He was also afraid that Steve would…what? That Steve would get back with his SEAL buddies and decide that he only liked women again? That Steve might decide that he liked one of his fellow SEALs better? He was also afraid that in spite of the repeal of the DADT policy, Steve would be ostracized if his teammates found out that Steve was living with another man.

Steve saw a range of emotions in Danny's eyes. "This is why I wanted to wait until we got home. I really want to hug you and tell you it will be okay. I'll be away for a couple of weeks, and then I'll come home and resume my life here with you and Grace. I'll miss you and Grace like crazy. I'm not sure if I can sleep without you, without Grace's goodnight hugs and kisses. We'll get through it. You will still have Grace here for part of the time. And I'll get through it because I'll know my family is waiting for me here. That's a lot more than I ever had before. I need to call the governor. You'll be in charge in my absence."

When Steve picked up the phone, Danny knew he needed to get back to work. The 15th was only five days away. They would pick Grace up on Friday, and then Steve would leave on Monday. He would have a couple of nights alone with Steve before Friday. He would need to make the most of them.

The governor had already been informed. Apparently, he had contacts and had been sent a courtesy copy of the same letter Steve had received. He was satisfied that Danny and the rest of the team could handle whatever came up with 5-0. Initially he had his doubts about the team abiding by his rules; he was very pleased with 5-0's performance. Although McGarrett occasionally skirted policy, Governor Denning could see when it was necessary. He knew that other states were looking into starting their own elite task forces; he doubted they would be as effective without McGarrett and his people.

Steve and Danny were a little late getting home that evening. Steve had been fighting a headache since reading the letter. Danny could tell that Steve was in some pain: he always knew. As soon as they walked in the front door, Danny headed straight for the kitchen. He came back with two Aleve and a bottle of water. "Take them and go for a swim. I know that you already had a swim this morning. You probably want to go again."

Danny stepped in for a hug after Steve swallowed the pills. Danny reached up to massage the back of Steve's neck. The muscles there were coiled tightly. Steve at first resisted and finally relaxed into Danny ministrations.

"I don't want to go out for a swim now. Can we go upstairs? I need to be with you. I just need to hold you for a while." Steve's voice was muffled against Danny's shoulder.

The two men climbed the stairs and went to their bedroom. Without speaking, they pulled the comforter and sheet down, stripped, and moved to the center of the bed.

It was still summer and they were warm from the short trip from the car. They soon cooled with the air conditioning. Danny always ran hot, so Steve kept the inside temp cool. Steve loved cuddling up with Danny, especially after a grueling day.

Steve was curled around Danny now. Their heartbeats were synchronized, their respiration keeping pace. "I knew it was just a matter of time before I would be called away. I've been fortunate that it went this long."

"Are you going to catch shit about us, you and me?" Danny decided this was the best time to air out all his questions.

"I shouldn't. The island is small enough and I go on base regularly. My C.O. there knows. There are still pockets of intolerance, but the feedback I've gotten is that the Navy is happy that they don't have to lose any more good men because of a stupid regulation.

"What about your SEAL team?"

"I've written or talked to some of the men from my last team. They know about us and are okay with it. I might be assigned with another team for training. I'll just have to wait and see.

Danny thought for a minute and asked, "I know this is a stupid question, but will you be in any danger"?

Steve decided Danny deserved absolute honesty. "Training exercises are as realistic as we can get. The ammo isn't live, but some of the drills might get a little hairy. If the exercise is climbing a wall, then it's real world. It's nothing I haven't done lots of times before. I might come home with a few aches and bruises. Will you kiss them and make them better?" Thanks to Danny, Steve's headache was gone. He wanted to play.

"Will I kiss them and make them better? Well, I don't know. Where do you think you might get these boo-boos?" Danny sensed a change in mood and approved. He really liked to play.

Steve pointed to his lips; Danny touched his lips to the spot. Steve pointed to his jaw; Danny brushed his lips over Steve's jaw. Steve pointed to his shoulder, his left nipple, his belly button. Each time Danny kissed the spot, now sweeping his tongue for good measure. When Steve pointed to a spot further south, Danny started laughing.

"Danny, it's not nice to laugh at that part of my anatomy. I could develop performance issues." Steve kept a straight face but knew that Danny playing along with him now.

"Stephen, if you come home with that part of you broken, I may have to remove it for you. It's mine, mine, mine. You will not let the other little SEALs play with my stuff." Danny was kidding, but he was also relieved to get that out in the open.

Steve reached down to stroke Danny now. "Then that makes yours mine, mine, mine too. There's no one but you Danno. There will never been another man, and you've ruined me for women."

They were kissing now. "I have, have I? The same goes for me. There is only you now." It would not be a night for sweet and tender, nor would it be a night for slow and easy. It was a little rough; both would have bruises in the morning. Each sought dominance the other wouldn't give. Finally, Danny won the battle, but both won the war. They were breathless when it was over, and a fine sheen of sweat coated both bodies.

"Danny, how could you think that anyone else could give me what we have together? It's not just what happens in this bed, although I have to give you a 10 on your performance tonight. I'm sure even that Russian judge would agree with me." Steve and Danny laughed over their private joke. Danny had rated their first kiss a 7 many weeks ago; he had since upped the score.

"It's everything Danny. It's you giving me medicine for my headache. It's you fixing the ice bath after my match with Liddell. It's you having supper ready for me when I work late."

"It's everything for me too Steve. It's you massaging my leg when my knee hurts. It's you playing safari with Grace on a Sunday afternoon when I'm sick. It's you renting a cabin so my kid can have the power of the universe. Even when Stan Edwards had buckets of money, he couldn't make her the Princess of Power."

"Yeah, we have it pretty good here, don't we? How about we soak for a while and grab some dinner? I ache everywhere right now, but in a very manly way." Steve laughed, wanting to lighten the mood.

And that's exactly what they did. They soaked in the big tub until the water cooled. Steve called in for pizza delivery before they hit the shower. They ate in the living room while they watched one of those reality shows, "Wipeout", where contestants raced to the finish line. The hapless contestants were sprayed with slime, knocked into mud pits, bounced off giant balls, spun on giant wheels….

Danny had started to change the channel but Steve stopped him. "Don't change it. It gets better. It makes me feel so much better about my life."

When it was over, Danny and Steve were both sprawled on top of each other. Every time one of them laughed, it would set off the other. Danny asked, "How is it you've seen that before? Somehow, I missed penciling that show in on my lineup card."

"Just lucky I guess. Are you ready to head up for the night?" Steve checked the doors while Danny set the alarm. They changed the sheets, which were due for the laundry anyway, and fell into bed.

Steve pulled Danny close and stroked his back. "It will be okay Danny. I can probably call you and Grace, or even e-mail you. When I come back, we'll do something special. Maybe I can book another weekend at the cabin."

"Whatever we do as a family, it's always special." Danny yawned and was asleep in minutes.

Steve stayed awake as long as he could, storing the feel and the scent of Danno in his memory banks for his time away. Eventually, he succumbed to sleep too.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

_This chapter takes place sometime between Episodes 6 and 7._

Thursday morning came too soon. Steve rose early to get in his workout routine. Steve was glad he had kept his fitness level up; otherwise, his two weeks of active duty would be even more grueling. He made it back to the house before Danny woke up. Steve started the coffee, showered quickly, and slipped back under the sheets.

"Good morning sleepyhead." Steve stroked Danny's hair and gently shook him.

"It can't be morning already. What time is it? Is that coffee I smell?" Danny was so cute when he woke like this. He reminded Steve of a ten year old boy.

"The coffee is brewing. It's almost 6:30 a.m., time to get up." Steve slid closer to Danny and was holding him.

"Steven, I am up." Danny lifted the sheet to give Steve a better view.

"You want to go for the best of two out of three falls again? You think your knee can handle the strain?" Steve had a go-ahead-make-my-day look on his face now.

"Babe, it's not my knee you have to worry about." Danny had an I-feel-really-lucky look on his face.

So it turned out the Steve and Danny left the house late the morning; they had to take their coffee in travel mugs, along with a couple of granola bars for breakfast. Steve spent most of the morning with Danny going over details Danny would need in Steve's absence. Steve also held a staff meeting with the rest of the team to bring them up to date. Chin, Kono, and Lori were given some long-term assignments in the event that 5-0 didn't have an investigation in progress.

Steve also made a quick call to his lawyer. He had no reason to believe that he would not return from active duty on time and intact. He wanted to make sure that Danny and Grace would be provided for just in case. He wanted the house to go to Danny; Steve had already bought out Mary's share when their Dad's estate had been settled. He also went online and changed the beneficiaries for his insurance policies. He left a portion to Mary, but the bulk went to either Danny or Grace. The lawyer promised a simple will for signature the next morning.

The day passed quickly, and Steve and Danny were busy that evening. They had chores to catch up on before picking up Grace on Friday. Steve would need to spend some time packing his gear before Monday morning.

"Danny, we need to be careful how we tell Grace. If we seem upset or worried about this, then that's how Grace will feel. I don't want to upset her. I've seen it before. Families get so hyped about the separation that they have a miserable last few days. I want us to have a good weekend." Steve and Danny were folding laundry at the table, their last chore of the night.

"I agree on both counts. Is there any chance your active duty could be extended or that you'll end up in the 'Stan again?" Danny was hoping for some reassurance.

"Anything is possible. I'm not thinking about that now. I'll pick up my orders when I report on Monday. I'll either board a ship or a plane then. I don't know how much I can tell you. They monitor our communications pretty closely." Steve wouldn't sugar coat the truth.

"This just really sucks. I know I'm whining. I'll stop before we pick Grace up." Danny folded the last towel and surveyed the piles of clean laundry. "Why do I have twice as many boxers in the laundry compared to your stack of boxer briefs? Are you going commando again?"

Steve put his best innocent look on his face. "Danny, I don't know what you mean. What do you have there, a dozen pair? We just did laundry last Sunday." As an experienced strategist, Steve knew that the best defense was a good offense.

Danny narrowed his gaze to Steve and asked, "Are you, Steven, wearing any underwear right now?"

Steve shrugged and replied, "That's private, Danny."

Danny let the subject drop for the moment. Steve and Danny carried the laundry upstairs and put it away. As Steve walked by to collect the empty laundry baskets, Danny tackled him down onto the bed. In a fluid motion, he had Steve's cut-offs unbuttoned and unzipped, then put his hand down the front.

"Those are my boxers. You're wearing my underwear." This was not what Danny had expected. "Steven, why are you wearing my underwear?"

Steve couldn't look at Danny now. He finally said, "Sometimes, I just like to, you know, hang free. You must have like twenty pair; I didn't think you'd mind."

"I have twenty pair because in the past, I wasn't sure when I would make it to the Laundromat. Unlike some people, I do not like to go commando. And if you want to wear boxers, we'll just buy you some at K-Mart. You'll be just like Rain Main: you like to drive, and you buy your underwear at K-Mart."

"Uh, Danny, since you're already there, is there anything else you'd like to do?" Steve gave Danny his best take-me-I'm-yours look.

"Nope, I'm good." Danny started to pull his hand away and get up. Steve had their positions reversed and his hand in Danny's shorts in ten seconds flat.

"Well, I've got an idea." Steve decided to make the most of their last night before picking up Grace tomorrow afternoon. The two men played a friendly game of tag, losing an article of clothing each time they were caught. They ended up on the floor when Steve called a halt. "Can we please do this on the bed? I don't want to explain to my team why I have rug burn."

"Steven, if I do it right, you won't get rug burn."

"Babe, if you do it the way I want, we'll both get rug burn." In the end, Steve proved his point. They were both laughing as they headed for the shower.

"Ooh, Steve, that's going to hurt." Danny ran his hand down the lower half of Steve' back and down to his ass.

"Yeah, well yours looks just as painful." Steve repeated Danny's gesture.

"Steven, do not start with me again. You are a menace to society." Danny tried to sound stern, but Steve in playful mode was irresistible. He really wished he could have met Steve's mother; he knew she would have some good stories to tell on Steve. Danny's mother had shared some of his most infamous childhood moments with Steve one night when they were in Jersey.

"Hey, you love me and you know it."

"Yes on both counts. Now move it. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow." Danny waved his hands to get Steve into the shower. They quickly washed up; the hot water stung their backsides.

It was late when they tumbled back onto the big bed for the night. As usual, they came together in the middle and fell asleep holding each other.

Friday morning passed slowly; Steve made a quick trip to the lawyer's office to sign his new will. Steve had done a good job of transitioning his open action items to the rest of the team. He received a phone call from the governor shortly before noon.

"Commander McGarrett, is your team all briefed for your absence?"

"Yes sir, I'm just tying up a couple of loose ends." The governor always made Steve a little nervous. Steve was never sure what the man knew or how he would react.

"When you finish with those, why don't you knock off for the day? I'm sure you have loose ends at home to tie up. And take Detective Williams with you. I'll speak to you when you return."

"Thank you sir, I will." Steve certainly hadn't expected that. He sent his last couple of e-mails out and went to Danny's office. "Is there anything you absolutely need to do this afternoon?"

"No, there's nothing that can't wait until Monday. What do you need?" Danny closed his laptop and turned to Steve.

"The governor has given us permission to play hooky for the rest of the day. We have time for the supermarket, and then we can pick Grace up from school." Steve was already pulling Danny down the hall. "Chin, Danny and I are out for the rest of the day. You're in charge for the afternoon. Kono and Lori, behave while I'm gone. I expect everyone to be in one piece when I get back."

"How did you manage to get us the rest of the day off?" Danny was still trying to figure the governor out too.

"The governor just called and told me I could go when I finished up with everything. He told me to take you with me. Can you call Rachel and tell her that we'll get Grace?" They were almost racing to the car.

Danny tossed the keys to Steve. "Since I'll have the car to myself for a couple of weeks, you might as well drive today."

Steve and Danny power-shopped their way through the store and raced home to put everything away. They changed into casual clothes and were waiting for Grace when the dismissal bell rang.

"Danno, Daddy Steve, what are you doing here?" Grace easily spotted Steve over the heads of the other parents. She took a flying leap into Steve's arms. This was a game they played often; Grace was sure that someday, she would actually knock him over. Steve was ready for her, as always.

"It's not going to happen, Grace. I'll always catch you." Steve hugged Grace tightly and put her down so she could run to Danny.

"Danno, did you and Daddy Steve get off work early?" Grace always missed her two dads when she was at her mommy's house. "Or do we have to go back to the Palace?"

"No, we can go home and you can change out of your uniform. Do you have much homework?" Danny put Grace down and the family walked toward the Camaro.

"I already finished most of it. I have some vocabulary words and some math problems. It shouldn't take too long. I got a 100 on my spelling test." Grace always aced her spelling tests.

Grace gave the dads a recap of her week while they drove home. She finished just as Steve pulled in the driveway. "What are we doing this weekend?" She always asked that question. She really didn't care what they did. Grace just liked to know.

"Why don't you run up to change your clothes? We'll have milk and cookies when you come down." It only took Grace a few minutes to put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. She was glad that she didn't have to pack and unpack anymore. She had a second set of clothes here and all the stuff for the bathroom.

Steve and Danny were waiting with milk and a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Steve and Danny had baked cookies last weekend; they had eaten almost half of the cookie dough raw. Grace joined her family at the table and grabbed a cookie.

"Grace, we need to talk to you. It's nothing bad, don't worry. I'm going to leave on Monday for two weeks active duty with the Navy. Do you know what that is?" Steve and Danny agreed it would be best to tell Grace as soon as she got home. Steve tried to keep his voice as reassuring as possible.

"I'm not sure. Are you going away?" Grace didn't like the sound of this. Her tummy started to hurt a little, and she put her cookie down.

Steve could see that Grace was upset. He lifted her onto his lap and rubbed her back. "Yes, but I'll come back the next time you're here. I'm not sure where I'll be, but I will call or send you an e-mail if I can. I need you to take care of Danno for me while I'm gone. Will you do that?"

"Yes Daddy, I'll take care of Danno. Who will take care of you?" Grace leaned into Steve's shoulder and breathed in his scent. Grace had grown up with Danno's scent, a mixture of aftershave, spices, and something uniquely Danny. Grace was still trying to identify all the parts of Steve's scent. She recognized the ocean and some woodsy smell. Grace would know him in the dark. He was Daddy.

"I'll be with my SEAL team. We're brothers and we take care of each other. Don't worry about me, okay?" Steve could tell when she believed him. She relaxed into his hug and murmured, "Okay Daddy."

They had lost their appetite for cookies, so Danny wrapped the plate for later. They drank their milk and rinsed the glasses. The family decided to take a walk on the beach. Steve always found comfort in the water. Grace had grown to love the water too. Even Danny found it peaceful to watch the waves roll in and out.

Grace walked between her dads. She was holding hands with both Steve and Danny. Every few steps, they would raise their arms and swing Grace between them. She shrieked with laughter every single time. Steve looked at Danny and said, "This is how I would like to spend the weekend: just us doing what we enjoy most. We can read, watch movies, play games, go swimming…. I just want a quiet weekend with my family."

Danny nodded at Steve, and then looked down to Grace. "We can do that, can't we Monkey?"

"Yes Danno. It sounds great Daddy Steve. Can I swim now?" Grace broke free and ran into the surf. She laughed as Danny ran after her. Steve waited half a beat and then ran in after them. He tackled Danny and then chased after Grace. They played like that for an hour.

When they finally went back in the house, their former tension was gone. Steve showered first and then helped Grace with her hair. They grilled fish for supper and later roasted marshmallows over the dying embers. They had smores for dessert and sat on the lanai until almost sunset.

Then Danny and Steve read to Grace until she was falling asleep. They watched TV for a little while but neither man was interested in the show. They settled in bed and held onto each other. Steve couldn't shake a sense of melancholy. He had spent all these years in isolation behind his self-built wall. Now, the prospect of a couple of weeks with his Danno and Grace chilled him to the bone.

Danny knew where Steve's mind was going and decided to steer him onto other more pleasant subjects. "The kitchen is coming along. The new floor looks great. Cabinets and counter tops should be in when you get back. I have to say I love the new refrigerator."

Steve snorted now. "You would. There's a lot more places to hide my own stash of chocolate from me. My favorite is the new stove. There are enough burners to accommodate a big meal. I want to have Thanksgiving here for the team, for anyone who doesn't have anywhere else to go."

"Do you know how to cook a turkey, because I don't have a clue? Even when I was married to Rachel, we went home for Thanksgiving."

"When I get back, we'll figure it out. Maybe Emelina can coach us. How hard can it be?"

Danny shook his head. "Babe, do you have any idea how many disasters were preceded by 'How hard can it be'? But I think we can probably learn enough not to poison everybody." Danny could see that Steve was finally relaxing. He knew the perfect way to end the night.

Steve saw Danny's eyes go dark and settled back. Danny took charge for tonight. Some nights, they battled for dominance; other nights, one of them would cede control. Steve was happy to let Danny set the pace. Danny would give him what he needed most tonight. Steve finally drifted off to sleep with Danny stilled wrapped around him.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

_This chapter takes place sometime between Episodes 6 and 7._

It was a tough weekend. No matter how hard they all tried to stay happy, Steve's duty was the elephant in the room. Grace was clingy and a little whiny. Truth be told, they all were. Steve was embarrassed to admit that going away for a couple of weeks hit him so hard.

Steve finally called Joe White to see if the man had any indication what Steve would be doing. Joe hesitated, and then finally told Steve what he didn't really want to hear. "Son, all I can tell you is that the decision to bring you back at this time has nothing to do with your annual requirement. That's what they're calling it, but you're needed for a specific op. I don't know any more than that, but you should be prepared."

"Thanks for the heads up Joe. I've had a bad feeling since I received the letter. It's somehow easier now that I've got confirmation." Steve ended the call and went down by the beach. Grace was building a sand castle while Danny supervised construction from the edge of the lawn.

When Steve heard news of the planned op, he knew what he would have to do. He started building the wall back up, the one that Danny and Grace had destroyed. He wouldn't hide behind it completely this time, but he would have to keep his emotions on the side with his family. When he left on Monday, Steve would be in SEAL mode again. He felt stronger now that he had a plan.

Steve grabbed a beer from the cooler and sat next to Danny. He decided that Danny needed the absolute truth. "I talked to Joe. I'm not going to be training for the next two weeks. I'll be part of an op, one that's crucial enough that they called me up for it. I'm guessing that the Navy is using the annual duty to hide whatever is being planned."

"I probably won't be able to call much, if at all. The same goes for e-mail. I don't know why I'm important enough to be called back now. I will promise to be careful. I need to know that you'll be okay. And Grace can't know any of this." Steve held his breath, hoping Danny wouldn't give up on him now. Other team members had lost their wives and girlfriends because they couldn't deal with the separations and the risks.

Danny mulled the information over and finally spoke. "When you get back, we should probably talk about the civil ceremony thing. I want to have a big party. Maybe instead of New Year's Day at sunset, we could do it at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. I want to start the new year like that."

Steve exhaled now; he wasn't even aware that he had been holding his breath. "I like the idea. There will be fireworks everywhere. We can have our own here." Steve paused and then let the rest of it out. "In case anything happens, the house is yours. Most of the insurance money would go to you and Grace too. I fully intend to come back to you and Grace, but in case something happens, I want you to know that this time with you and Grace has been the most perfect time of my life."

Somewhere along the way, Danny had reached over to take Steve's hand. Now he was tightly gripping it, almost painfully so. "I'm not going to waste our time by saying I don't want your house. I'll just say that I appreciate the thought but it's not necessary. You'll be back before we know it and in one piece. Now why don't you go help Grace with her castle? You know that you want to."

Steve carefully extracted his hand from Danny's and joined Grace on the sand. He used all of his self-discipline to focus on the moment, his time with Grace. He had been afraid that loving Danny and Grace had weakened him somehow, making him vulnerable as a warrior. He realized now that love only made him stronger.

The rest of the weekend was better. Saturday night after Grace was in bed, Steve packed his duffel. It was mostly packed all the time, but he added pictures of Danny and Grace. They made love later, Steve doing his best to show his devotion to Danny. Later, he told Danny, "Never forget that you and Grace are the reason that I do this. My team might be preventing the next 9-11. Before now, I was serving my country. Now, I'm protecting my family too."

Sunday started with an extra long cuddle with Grace. They had pancakes and sausages for a late breakfast, steak and potatoes for an early supper. Steve churned some peach ice cream for them; the machine had been on sale at the home supply store and he couldn't resist. He decided if Home Depot sold it, then making ice cream must be a manly pursuit. At least, that's what he told Danny. Grace giggled when she heard them talking about it.

"I have to say babe; that is the best ice cream I've had since I left Jersey. Manly or not, you can make this anytime you want. Am I right, Monkey?" Danny was licking his spoon and checking to see if there was any left.

"There's a little left. Help yourself. I'm full. This will probably be the last good meal I'll get until I come home. Everything was great. Danno, you outdid yourself on the grill. I name you King Steakmaster." Steve patted his belly and sat back in his chair.

"Does that mean I don't have to clean up?" Danny looked hopeful; he hated doing the dishes.

"Danno, help us so we can get done faster. I want Daddy Steve to dry my hair tonight." Grace was getting a little more hyper as the day went on.

Steve lifted Grace to the counter so they were almost level. "Grace, there's still time for everything. We had an early supper so we have plenty of time." Steve lifted her chin so their eyes met. "I'm coming back Grace. While I'm gone, I want you to plan an op for me. The Joes need to capture the Kens in their lair. We trained the Barbies last month so they can be on the team. When I get back, you can run the op for me. Okay, Commander Grace?" Steve snapped to attention and saluted Grace.

Grace straightened her back and returned the salute, just the way Steve had taught her. "Aye, aye, Commander Daddy."

Danny protested the weekend that Steve taught Grace the proper way to salute. Now he could see that it bolstered Grace's spirit.

Later that night, Danny confessed as much to Steve. "Okay, the salute helped her get through the rest of today. But so help me, if she ever looks at a Navy recruiter, I will hurt you. After all, I know where you live."

"But Danno, I'm thought she could be the first woman SEAL." Steve whined just to annoy Danny. He knew they would need laughter tonight.

"Keep it up and I'll have you wear white for our ceremony." Danny knew the game and played it well.

"Well, it is my first 'wedding'. I think I'm entitled." Steve had the impudence to look wounded.

"Okay, who wears the garter?" Danny upped the ante.

They looked at each other and answered in unison, "Kamekona". Now they both laughed at the image.

They turned in early that night. Joe White had volunteered to pick Steve up at 3:30 a.m.; Steve was due on the base at 4:00 a.m. sharp. That way, Steve's truck would be available if Danny needed it, and they wouldn't have to get Grace up so early to take Steve to the base.

It seemed to Steve that his head had just touched the pillow. He hated to wake Danny, but the man had insisted that he wanted to see Steve off. He had two coffees to go and some granola bars packed when Steve came downstairs with his bag.

"Did you say goodbye to Grace?" Danny knew that Grace would be crushed if he hadn't.

Steve could only nod his head. It had been heart wrenching to leave Grace. When he woke her, Grace crawled into his lap. "I don't want you to go Daddy, but I won't cry. Even little SEALs don't cry." She hugged him tightly and let Steve tuck her back in."

"I love you Grace. You take care of Danno for me. I'm leaving you in charge of Danno hugs. Every time he looks sad, you give him one for me." Grace nodded and went back to sleep.

Danny heard the knock at the front door. Joe was here. "You play nice with all the other SEALs. Blow up something big for me. You know you want to."

Then Danny hugged Steve, and they exchanged "I love you's". Then Steve was out the door. Danny passed Joe a coffee. "Thanks Danny. Don't worry. Steve's the best. He'll be back before you know it. I'll keep an eye out for any news and I'll pass on whatever I can."

That comforted Danny; he needed it. It didn't seem right to be in the house without Steve. Danny decided to at least try to get another couple of hours sleep. When he reached the door to their bedroom, he saw Grace walking down the hall. Danny opened his arms for Grace and took her into the big bed that still had Steve's scent on one side. Grace cuddled up to Steve's pillow and murmured "Daddy". Then she was asleep. Danny threw an arm over the other side of the pillow and also slept.

Joe was concerned about Steve; he seemed so distracted. "Are you okay son? I remember how hard it was when I was with the wives. I also remember it was harder without them when I had nothing to come home to. You're a lucky man."

"For the first time in years, I have to agree with you Joe." Steve was lost in thought for the rest of the drive.

Steve's orders were to report to a hangar on the far side of the air field. Ordinarily, SEAL teams travel in helos or cargo planes. The plane in Hanger 8 was a luxury Gulfstream. Joe motioned to Steve. "This is your ride Steve. Take care of yourself. I'd hate to bring bad news to Williams."

Steve nodded. "Thanks for everything Joe. You'll check on Danny?"

"You bet. He'll need someone to keep him out of trouble." Joe watched Steve climb the steps to the cabin.

Steve was surprised to see his old SEAL team assembled on the plan. The cabin had been set up as a briefing room. The seats around the conference table were wide and comfortable. Steve saluted the CO, Captain Spinler.

The CO returned the salute and motioned for Steve to take the empty seat. "At ease Commander McGarrett. Have a seat. I'll begin the briefing as soon as we're at cruising altitude."

Steve sat as ordered and reviewed what he already knew. He was activated because of his skills and experience. He was a skilled tracker, especially in a forest or jungle setting. He was a top-notch sniper. He had experience as a SEAL team leader and in military intelligence. Now he knew that there was a sense of urgency; they were being briefed during transport to save time. Their destination was far enough away to warrant a smooth ride; the team could rest after the briefing.

"Hey Smooth Dog, it's great to see you. Has island life made you soft?" His friend, Mark Bates, greeted him as the plane taxied out of the hangar.

"I'm not the guy with performance issues, Greyhound. Did you get a pass from your wife for today, or will you be In the doghouse when you get back?" Bates was a devoted family man and took a lot a ribbing about it. His nickname came from his lanky frame and his speed in pursuit. Well, that and the time he spent ten minutes chasing through a jungle after what turned out to be a rabbit.

The rest of the team greeted Steve similarly, and he had ready responses for all of them. This was their equivalent of a handshake or a man-hug. When the plan leveled off, Captain Spinler activated the view screen and began the briefing.

Their destination was South America. A drug cartel was smuggling cocaine into the States; naval bases were a target, those with submarine crews in particular. The coke was tainted and several sailors were dead. Intel indicated that Hawaii was the next target for the cartel, targeting thousands of crew who swarmed there when the fleet docked. The team's mission was to track down the cartel's distribution center and destroy it. It was hidden somewhere deep in the jungle; there had already been several unsuccessful attempts to locate it. The last tracking party never made it back; their bodies were discovered a week ago.

NCIS had identified one of the key lieutenants in the cartel. He came into a nearby town every two weeks or so. He was expected within the next couple of days. Steve's role was to track the man back to the drugs with his team as back-up. Well, at least he could tell Danny that he blew something up.

After the briefing, each team member was given a packet with more information on his part of the mission. Breakfast was served and the team settled down to study the intel. Steve committed the data to memory; then sat back to process the information. He was sure that the area in question had electronic surveillance, probably infrared sensors. There was also evidence of booby traps.

Steve would be wearing a special suit to hide his heat signature. He would neutralize the sensors as he went along. Steve judged that the team would arrive in-country early enough to get their special gear. The CO came over to talk to Steve personally.

"Commander McGarrett, I asked to have you activated for this mission for several reasons. I need your skill as a tracker. Your performance as head of 5-0 has been exemplary. Success here will save a lot of lives, and will save you a big headache on the island. I regret that we recalled you under the guise of your two weeks active duty. Your reputation precedes you, both as a SEAL and with 5-0. We didn't want to give the cartel advance notice that we're going after them."

"You will be assigned to me until your team can take out the cartel. It may take only a week or two, or it may take months. Knowing you and your team as I do, I think it will probably be the former. Do you have any questions?"

Steve thought briefly and asked, "Will I be able to make a phone call before we go out. No classified information would be disclosed."

Captain Spinler nodded. "I heard that you have a family now. Congratulations. I trust your discretion. Keep it brief."

Steve was relieved on two counts: that the CO accepted his relationship with Danny and Grace, and that he would have one last chance to talk to Danny and Grace. Steve spent the remainder of the flight in SEAL mode, playing out scenarios mentally and considering options.

_I was undecided until I started this chapter which way to go with Steve's activation. I'm not going to draw this out into several chapters of jungle warfare. I just wanted the opportunity to explore how difficult it is for those who serve and the families they leave behind. Steve will be home by the end of the next chapter._


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

_This chapter takes place sometime between Episodes 6 and 7._

It was late afternoon local time when Steve and his team landed. It took a couple of hours to get to their base camp, collect their equipment, and settle in the dorm-like tent. The CO gave the team an hour to grab some food and make any calls. Then all personal gear would be collected for safekeeping.

Steve went to the mess tent to gather his supper. He carried it to a deserted corner of camp and pulled out his phone. "Danny, how is everything going there?" They had agreed that Steve's name would not be used in any conversation.

"It's been a long day so far. How are you doing?" Danny was relieved to hear from Steve. He was afraid that there would be no last call.

"You know what they say; it's not the age, it's the miles. I hate sitting in a boring classroom all day, but the sooner I get started, the sooner I'll finish. Is Grace there?"

"Yeah, she had a bad day and I had to pick her up from school early. Hold on." Steve heard a muffled sound and then Grace's voice.

"Daddy, I miss you so much. Where are you?"

Steve's breath hitched; he tried to think of something that might comfort her. "I'm never far away Grace. I'll see you in a couple of weeks. I love you baby."

"I love you too Daddy. I had to give Danno a hug when he picked me up from school. I had a tummy ache." Grace knew she was going to cry and tried to think of a way to prevent it. Suddenly, she straightened up and saluted; she would pretend to give Daddy a report. "My tummy felt better when I hugged him. I'm okay now, sir."

Steve could almost see her; she was being so brave. "Good job Commander Grace. Carry on, sailor. Daddy loves you."

Grace slumped over, her mission accomplished. She handed the phone back to Danny, who had already deciphered Steve's cryptic message so far. Steve had apparently been traveling all day and was at the target destination. He wouldn't be back until his mission was complete, and wasn't sure how long that would take.

"God Danny, she's ripping my heart out." Steve had his head on his hand, a study in misery.

"I know babe. That was not her intention."

"I could tell she was being brave for me. It's the first time that I've had to leave like this. Remind her it's just my routine duty so that she doesn't worry about me." Steve didn't know if his phone line was being monitored but needed to give the impression that nothing out of the ordinary was happening. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

"No, just hurry home. We'll be here waiting. Love you babe." Danny knew that time was running short.

"Love you too. Give Grace a big hug for me. Bye." With that, Steve ended the call. He ate his meal, which was cold now. It didn't matter; he had a lump in the pit of his stomach and hardly tasted anything. Then he turned in his personal belongings except for a small picture of Danny and Grace. They had been sitting in front of the fireplace at the cabin. Danny was holding a sleepy Grace. Steve missed them both terribly. He tucked the picture into a pocket and squared his soldiers.

It was time to put his emotions aside. Steve needed all of his focus on his target, Ramon Suarez. Ramon was due in the nearby town tomorrow or the next day. Steve would arrive before him as part of a group of laborers. Steve hadn't shaved in a couple of days and was well-tanned. He spoke fluent Spanish and intended to blend in. Tonight would be the last opportunity to sleep in safety. Steve forced himself to relax and finally dozed off. He dreamed of Danny and Grace. They were all in the big bed, and Grace was telling them a story from one of her books. Steve woke early, feeling amazingly well-rested.

The team got some last-minute intel over coffee and powdered eggs. Then the team set out for town. Steve could feel the adrenaline kick in and was hyper alert. It was show time. The first couple of days, it was more tedious than anything. Suarez showed up in town mid-afternoon and headed for the bar. His next visit was to one of the women who 'serviced' the town. He stayed for two days and then started back to the drug plant.

Two days later, Steve was hiking through the jungle in his special suit. The suit was hot and he knew that he would go home a few pounds lighter. Steve had found and neutralized two infra-red sensors so far. Both were facing in other directions now so his team could pass in safety. Progress was slow but Steve thought they must be close to the target.

Suddenly he detected movement to his right. A man dressed in camo gear was patrolling the area. Steve clicked his radio on and off three times, a signal to the team that danger was near. A few more clicks signaled the guard's location. Minutes later, Steve saw the man fall. Buzz Saw had taken him down.

Steve and the team spent another hour locating the entrance to the drug den. It was hidden underground; someone in the cartel had obviously watched the Tom Clancy movie. Quickly, the team set explosive charges. Steve asked to detonate the charges; he remembered Danny's comment. This explosion would keep the island safe for his family.

The rest was anti-climactic. There were only a few survivors, including Suarez. He knew that he was a dead man. The boss had warned him about his forays into town. He would be blamed for leading the SEALs back to their hideout. Suarez became even more afraid when he discovered his tracker was McGarrett.

Steve and 5-0 had taken out the boss's cousin last year. His plans so far had just been a warm-up for what he planned to do to 5-0's home. He would give the drugs away if necessary just to humiliate 5-0. Suarez knew his only hope was to serve his time in the States. Left in country, the boss would find a way to kill him.

The SEAL took the prisoners back to base camp. It was slow going, but the team had time now. Suarez struck a deal to reveal the name and location of the boss in return for incarceration in the U.S. Steve and his team spent another two days verifying the intel and mapping out a plan to shut the cartel for good.

The cartel was meeting the next evening to set up their distribution ring in Hawaii. Although a missile strike would shut the cartel down, the decision was made to kill or capture cartel members and their guards. This would leave any records or other evidence intact for analysis by various government agencies.

The SEAL attack was textbook, similar to the raid on the Alvaro compound. Two of the cartel surrendered; all the rest were killed. One of the SEALs suffered a flesh wound, and another took a hit in the chest. Kevlar saved the second man. The rest of the team had bruises and scratches, mostly from their trek in the jungle.

The team was de-briefed on the Gulfstream as they flew back home. Steve had showered, shaved, and dressed in clean fatigues before boarding the plan. The SEALs enjoyed a hot meal on the flight and even had a few hours sleep. There had been no opportunity to call Danny and Grace. Their mission gone so well that no one in country knew what had happened, other than the cartel had been decimated. The goal was to keep the SEAL team's involvement secret; no one wanted a repeat of the Alvaro attack on SEAL Team 9.

Joe met Steve when the plane taxied back into Hangar 8. Steve grinned when he saw Joe. "Please tell me you haven't been waiting for me all this time?"

"Don't flatter yourself. Someone had to keep an eye on your family. They even fed me a couple of times. The kid is cute; she saluted me when I left. Williams is a little excitable, but he's a good man. He kept it together for the sake of your 5-0 team and his daughter. Where do you want to go?"

"Danny should be waiting for Grace at the school. It's the holiday weekend, and we have Grace this week. I can surprise them both. And Joe, thanks for everything. It helped knowing that you were watching out for them."

"I read the preliminary report. You and your team did a great job. You saved a lot of lives. It was the least I could do." Steve watched the scenery fly by. It was so great to be home. Before his dad was killed, visits had been few and far between. Now he hated to leave.

Steve could see the school ahead; the Camaro glinted in the afternoon sun. Joe barely had time to stop his car before Steve jumped out. "Go ahead, I'll drop your bag on your front porch." Joe shook his head, laughing as he drove away. It was great to see McGarrett so happy.

Steve had almost reached Danny when Grace came down the stairs. She saw a tall figure dressed in a uniform; it looked just like Daddy had the last time she saw him. Grace had missed him so much. She spent a lot of time planning her mission with the Barbies and the Joes. It calmed her and helped her feel closer to Steve.

Grace couldn't see the tall man any longer. Maybe she just imagined him here. Daddy was due to come home soon, but he hadn't called home since the first day. Danno said that maybe he had to stay after school.

Steve saw both Danny and Grace now. He ducked out of sight and waited for Grace to get to the Camaro. He saw Danny crouch down to hug Grace. That's when he stepped over to both of them. "What does it take to get a ride home?"

Grace whipped around. "Daddy, you're home." Grace turned to her Daddy Steve and hugged him tightly. Steve stood with her in his right arm and pulled Danny in for a hug with his left arm. God, it felt so good to be back.

Danny didn't know whether to slug Steve or kiss him. "What, you put on a uniform and forget how to make a phone call? How did you get here?" Danny settled for a hug.

"We flew back in today. Joe gave me a ride. I couldn't call. The brass wanted to keep everything quiet. Can we go home now?" Steve knew they were a spectacle in front of the school but he didn't care.

Danny offered Steve the keys but he shook his head. "You drive Danno. I just want to sit back and enjoy the scenery."

When Danny pulled up in the driveway, Steve noticed how nice everything looked. "We had a busy week at the office. I hired a couple of the Kelly cousins to give me a hand with the yard work and the house. I wanted everything nice in case you came home. That's okay, isn't it?"

"Let's see, I'm back with my family and don't have to spend the weekend cleaning or cutting the grass. Of course it's okay Danny. Thanks." Danny unlocked the front door and punched in the code. Steve came in and walked around the living room. He remembered the first time that he returned after his dad's death. The house had felt so empty. His footsteps had echoed through the house.

Now the house was full of life. He picked up a picture from the table. Steve was on the floor with Grace and Ali, positioning the Joes around Barbie's Dream House. How had this miracle happened to him? He had long stopped believing in miracles. "It's good to be home."

"Hey, I found this on the front porch. Did the tooth fairy bring it?" Danny was lugging Steve's duffel in. Steve took the bag and carried it to the laundry room. "Thank Danny. Joe brought it over after he dropped me off at Grace's school. I need to wash everything. I'm wearing the only clean clothes left." Steve loaded the machine and dropped the remaining dirty clothes on the floor.

"That is an amazing odor. I won't ask where you were or what you did. Were you successful?" Danny had a long talk with Joe White last week; Joe clarified what kind of information Steve would be able to give upon his return.

Steve turned to Danny and pulled him in for a long hard kiss. Both men were breathless. "We were very successful. Danny, the explosion was awesome. I detonated the charges personally and though of you."

Danny laughed. "That's kind of a turn-on. I'll hold that thought for tonight. What do you want to do first? I'd like to call the team and tell them you are back. I'm thinking we need a welcome home cookout tomorrow. Do you need to call the governor?"

The phone calls were finished quickly. Steve's call to the governor was brief. Governor Denning had his own contacts and had been informed of the mission's success. "I hear you did an outstanding job, Commander McGarrett. Detective Williams was very effective filling in for you the last two weeks. Your team is well trained and solved a big case in your absence."

Danny had made calls to Chin, Kono, Lori and Max. Steve called Joe and issued an invitation. Although not on the 5-0 team, Joe had a place in the 5-0 family. They all knew that Steve would still be in jail if not for Joe's timely information.

The cookout was planned for tomorrow afternoon. Everyone volunteered to bring something for the meal. Danny and Steve only had to provide the hamburgers and the drinks. They had a 3-day weekend thanks to Labor Day on Monday. It was turning out to be a great weekend.

Steve glanced over at Grace, who was dozing on the couch. "How has she been?"

"She had a tough time babe. She finished the GI Joe-Barbie mission for you and was fine tuning it at Rachel's. Her appetite has been off, and she slept with me the first week. I don't think she slept much last week. She called three times a day to find out if I had heard from you."

"Let me take a quick shower and change out of these clothes. Then I'd like to come down and hold her for a while." And that's what Steve did. He was back downstairs in 10 minutes, his hair still damp from the shower.

Steve walked over to the couch and picked Grace up. He chose his dad's old recliner and lay back with Grace on his lap. Grace buried her nose in Steve's t-shirt and murmured, "Daddy, you're home". Then both settled in for a nap.

Danny watched father and daughter snuggle in for a while. They all had suffered with Steve's absence, but Grace more so. Danny knew that Steve wanted to go for a swim; Steve had talked at length one night how his beach was the one thing he missed more than anything when John McGarrett had sent him away. Steve's priority was Grace today. Danny found his camera in the study and snapped a picture of his family. It was a perfect picture of love and contentment. Steve and Danny would have their private time tonight. Right now, they needed to take care of Grace.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

Steve and Grace were sleeping peacefully in the living room. Danny felt energized with his family whole again. He took a quick shower, planning the evening as he washed the last two weeks away. The kitchen was still well-stocked from their last mega-shopping trip, but the perishables were running low. Danny made a quick trip to Nino's, the premier meat and produce market on the island.

The last time he had been in Nino's, he noticed that he could buy marinated butterfish. He also picked up fresh fruit and produce, milk, bread, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. Steve and Grace were still snoozing when Danny carried the groceries in. Danny put the food away and was starting supper when he saw Steve and Grace standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Hey welcome back to the land of the living. Grace, why don't you get your shower while I get supper together? Daddy Steve can help dry your hair. You can put your jammies on. We're having a family movie night." Danny chopped veggies for salad while he spoke.

"Okay Danno. Daddy Steve, I'll call you when I'm ready."

When Steve heard the water running upstairs, he walked over to Danny. He wrapped his arms around Danny and nuzzled Danny's neck. "Movie night sounds great. I can't believe I conked out like that. Did you shop while we were sleeping?"

"Yes, I did. We're having misoyaki butterfish for dinner with salad and some steamed broccoli. I'm making my Aunt Diane's cobbler recipe for dessert. I bought some beautiful fresh blackberries at Nino's for the cobbler. You'll love it. I'll bake it when the butterfish comes out of the oven, and we can eat it warm during the movie." Danny was trying unsuccessfully to ignore Steve and finally gave up. He leaned back against Steve, trying to increase the contact.

"Sound delicious. Is it another one of her southern recipes? The kitchen looks great. Chin's cousin did a great job with the cabinets and counter tops." Steve was massaging Danny's shoulders now, working on the knots he found there.

Danny couldn't think anymore. He hadn't realized how tense he was until Steve hit the right spot. Danny dropped the knife and rolled his head to loosen the neck muscles.

When the knife dropped on the counter, Steve spun Danny around and kissed him hard. The kiss went on forever. Danny moaned and banded his arms around Steve. Finally, they broke the kiss; both men were breathing hard.

Steve was the first to speak again. "I missed you Danny, you and Grace. This was the hardest thing I've ever done. I would do it again, because it was important. They were planning to distribute poisoned coke on the island. 5-0 was a secondary target. We blew up their drug plant and took the bosses down. Only my team, the Navy brass, and now you even know who did it. My team suffered only minor injuries."

Danny knew that Steve was breaking confidentiality to tell him this much. "My ears are still buzzing from your kiss. Did you say something?"

Steve grinned and kissed Danny once more. "Who could talk after a kiss like that?"

"Daddy, I'm ready for you." Grace had finished her shower and dressed. She was trying to towel dry her hair some without much luck. She felt really good now. Grace had been so scared when Daddy Steve left for active duty. Danno and Daddy kept telling her it was just routine, but she knew better. Danno had the same look on his face the morning that Daddy left that she saw the day she boarded the plane to Hawaii.

Steve walked in Grace's room and saw her sitting on the side of the bed, deep in thought. "Are you okay Grace? Are you still tired?" Steve sat beside Grace and rubbed her back.

"I'm really happy to see you Daddy. Danno was worried about you. Will you have to go away again?" Grace had turned to face Steve. She needed to know the truth.

"Grace, I will probably continue to train with the Navy. I might have to go away again. It's my job to keep Hawaii safe for you and everyone else. I'm really good at my job, and I will always come back to you and Danno." Steve took the towel from Grace and gently dried her hair. He combed the tangles out and turned the dryer on. "Do you want me to braid your hair or just dry it?"

"Just dry it please. Which movie do you want to watch?" Grace loved getting her hair dried as much as Daddy Steve loved doing this for her.

"Why don't you pick? You have better taste in movies than Danno or me. Did you get your hair cut? It seems shorter." Steve never noticed when Catherine changed her hair but he could tell that Grace's hair was shorter.

"Uh-huh. Mommy took me to get it cut last week. It was getting a little long and took too long to dry. Do you like it?"

"Yeah, you look more grown-up. It's nice, but don't tell Danno I said that, okay?" Steve had finished with the dryer and was brushing Grace's hair smooth. Now he tickled her just to hear her giggle.

Grace turned and tickled Steve in return. He gasped when she hit a sore spot. "Did I hurt you Daddy? I'm sorry."

"It's okay Grace. I just fell last week and I've got a bruise there." Steve lifted his t-shirt just enough to show Grace a bruise that was almost healed. "I'm not used to playing with the other SEALs anymore. Did you finish your op, Commander Grace?"

"Yes sir, Commander Daddy. The Barbies' performance was outstanding. I put Malibu Barbie in for a commendation." Grace stood and saluted Steve, just as he had instructed her. God, he was so proud of her.

Steve stood and returned Grace's salute. "Outstanding Commander Grace. Your shore leave has been approved. Dismissed." Steve threw Grace over his shoulder and went downstairs just as Danny announced, "Five minutes to supper. I need a little help here."

Grace set the table as Steve helped bring the food over. Grace had milk while Danny and Steve had a beer. The salad was crisp and the butterfish was delectably flaky. Steve smelled the cobbler baking in the oven now. Grace updated Steve on her school projects; she wanted to build a volcano for science. Steve made suggestions that had Danny rolling his eyes.

"Danny, I missed a lot of things while I was gone, and your cooking was one of them. The cobbler smells amazing. Did you roll out the crust for it and everything?" Steve could bake a little but pie crusts always defeated him.

"No, it's not that kind of cobbler. I mixed up a batter of flour, milk, and sugar. I poured that batter in the pan and dropped the berries around in the batter. It tastes great and is super easy. I'll have to make Aunt Geraldine's corn pudding one day. She's really an aunt-in-law to Aunt Diane and a wonderful Southern lady. She used to make it for me when I visited."

Steve was looking at Danny and smirking a little. "And you teased me about channeling Martha Stewart. You're channeling that other cook, Paula Deen."

"And how do you know about Paula Deen?" Danny was really interested now.

"I, uh, saw one of her recipes in the woman's magazine I was reading the day the governor kept me waiting for a meeting. It was the day that Lori was assigned to 5-0. How's she doing anyway?" Steve didn't want to admit to any of the other articles he read that morning. The article on how to please your man had him blushing.

"Lori's okay. Her skills are top-notch, and it was a good thing we had another body while you were gone. Socially, it's still a little awkward around her. It's kind of like when an actor joins a TV show that's already been on for a while. Think Sturgis Turner on JAG. She's curious about the rest of us. I think she just needs time."

Steve saw back and grinned. "That's quite an assessment, Detective Williams. It's good to know that I left 5-0 in such capable hands."

Danny put up his hands in surrender. "Well, you can have it back. I'm much happier being one of the team. I had to sit in on a couple of budget meeting while you were gone. Now I know why you always come back from one of those looking like you want to hit someone."

Steve looked at Grace who was eating her last forkful of butterfish. "You ready to help me clean up? Then we can watch our movie and eat some cobbler." Steve pushed back from the table and started gathering the empty dishes.

Danny was going to help with the cleanup but decided that they would establish their old routine sooner if he let Steve and Grace do the dishes. "I soaked the pan from the fish. Most everything else can go in the dishwasher. The new one actually gets everything clean." He gave both Steve and Grace a kiss, then pulled the cobbler out when the oven timer buzzed. The blackberries were bubbling a little and the top was a beautiful golden brown. "The new oven is great too. It actually heats evenly."

Steve and Grace made quick work of the kitchen. Steve poured milk for both Danny and himself and topped Grace's glass off. Then he spooned out three bowls of cobbler and added some vanilla ice cream. He set everything on a tray and carried it out to the living room. Grace had picked her movie and was putting it in the DVD player. She had picked out the GI Joe movie that had come out a couple of years earlier.

"I'm not thrilled that you've got our daughter interested in GI Joe, but I heard the movie was pretty good. Thanks for bringing dessert out. Now that I'm sitting here, I don't think I want to get up for a while." Danny was exhausted from leading 5-0 and being a single parent to Grace while Steve was gone. He had forgotten how hard it was to be in charge of a child by himself. Steve was so good with Grace, and he happily co-parented Grace.

"Oh Danny, this is good." Steve had just spooned the first mouthful of cobbler in. He closed his eyes and savored the taste. "I need to meet your Aunt Diane the next time we go to the states. Or better yet, can we send her a ticket and have her come for a visit?"

Danny looked a little sad now. "Aunt Diane passed away before Grace was born. She had a heart attack; she went quickly. She'd be happy to know that we're sitting here enjoying her recipe."

"I'm sorry Danny. Here's to Aunt Diane." Steve picked up his milk to toast Danny's aunt. The others followed suit, clinking glasses before taking a sip of milk.

Grace was fascinated by the movie, and the guys loved the action. The bowls and glasses had been emptied, and Grace was cuddling against Steve. She was putting pressure on Steve's bruise again, but he wouldn't move away for anything in the world. He had missed his family so much he ached with it.

By the time the movie ended, Grace was half asleep. So were Steve and Danny. Steve was operating on somewhere between Eastern and Central Time. Danny roused them all enough to head for bed. Danny put the rest of the dishes in the dishwasher and started it. Then he set the alarm and turned off the lights.

By the time that he got to Grace's room, she was ready for bed. Steve pulled the comforter down, then picked Grace up for a hug. "No story for you tonight. We're all too tired. I've waited almost two weeks to tuck you in again. I love you Grace. I'm so proud of you. You did a good job of watching over Danno while I gone. Good night sweetie." Steve turned and passed the sleep girl to Danny.

"Sleep tight Monkey. You can come in and cuddle with me and Daddy Steve in the morning. I love you."

"Love you too Danno. Love you Daddy Steve. 'Night." Grace was asleep almost as soon as Danny pulled the covers up.

Steve and Danny walked down to their bedroom. They pulled the bed down and took turns in the bathroom. When Danny walked back out from the bathroom, he looked at Steve and ordered, "Strip".

Steve's eyebrows shot up in question and he said. "I missed you too Danno, but I kind of hoped for some foreplay at least."

"Not that, you big goof. I could see you were in a little discomfort during the movie. I want to see where you're hurt." Danny pulled Steve's t-shirt off and was unbuttoning his shorts.

Steve stilled Danny's hands. "Danny, I was on the move most of the time I was gone. I've got some sore muscles, some bruises, and a few cuts." He could see the concern in Danny's eyes and knew that he needed to put Danny's fears to rest. He shucked out of his shorts and boxers. "Thanks for buying me some boxers, but did you have to get ones with smiley faces?"

"That way, I could tell which ones were yours. They certainly made me smile when I saw them." Danny walked around to inspect Steve's back. "Besides, you asked me to kiss your boo-boo's before you left." Danny touched his lips to a scrape on Steve's back. He repeated the kiss over other scratches and bruises.

"We were hiking through a jungle. I got caught in some kind of briar patch." Steve felt the last bit of tension leave his body.

"Stay here for a minute. The scratch on your leg is infected." Danny went to the bathroom and came out with a tube of antibiotic ointment. He gently applied the medicine and motioned for Steve to lay down. He found the bruises then and kissed them tenderly. When Danny was finished, he stripped and turned the overhead light off before joining Steve in bed.

"Danny, I can't tell you how happy I am to be home with you and Grace, to be in bed with you now. I missed you more than I can possibly tell you."

"Me too babe. It wasn't the same here without here. Your stuff was here and you weren't. I kept waiting for you walk in the door." Danny moved to the middle of the bed to join Steve. They curled together and kissed softly. Danny stroked Steve's side and hip, careful to avoid the sore spots.

Steve was so tired. He had looked forward to this time with Danny all day. He ran his fingers over Danny's jaw, down his arm. Somewhere along the way he lost his battle with fatigue and drifted off to sleep.

Danny sensed when Steve went slack with sleep. "Sleep now Steve. I'll be here when you get up."


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

It was still dark when Danny awoke to the sensation of someone stroking his body. The fingers started by his shoulder, down his back and the curve of his ass. Sometimes the hand strayed to his hip and around the front. Instinctively, he rolled to his back, presenting the part of him that craved the hand the most. The hand stilled momentarily, then found its target. "Whatever you do, don't stop. I really missed this too."

"I have no intention of stopping Danny. I'm sorry I fell asleep earlier. It was no reflection on you babe." Steve intended to make up for it now.

"That's okay. You were tired. Oh, that feels really good, right there." Danny's eyes almost rolled back in pleasure. They had gotten really good at this part. No one, not even Rachel, paid this kind of attention to Danny's erogenous zones. Steve had them mapped to memory and paid homage to them every chance he got.

"I dreamed about you at night. Sometimes we were spooned together. Sometimes we were making love. Do you have any idea how you drive me crazy?" Occasionally, Steve liked to talk during sex. Apparently, this was one of those times. Danny didn't know how he did it. Danny couldn't string three words together to save his life right now.

When Steve mentioned earlier that he had hoped for foreplay, apparently he wasn't kidding. Steve was painstaking in his attention. When Steve drove them both over the edge, Danny could only whisper softly, "Never leave me." He barely heard Steve's response, "Love you always."

Much later, Danny finally roused. "We'd better clean up and get dressed. Grace will be in when she wakes up. She cannot find us like this. And babe, you can wake me anytime you want to do that."

"Thanks, I will. Want to join me in the shower? I could use a little more sleep." Steve rolled out of bed and gave Danny a hand up. They quickly showered, dressed in their sleep clothes, and crawled back to bed.

The sun was streaming in the window when Steve woke next. He felt something wriggling in bed and realized that Grace had joined them in bed. He rolled over and threw an arm around her. "Hush, Danno's still sleeping."

"I'm not asleep, am I Monkey. My eyes are open, and I'm talking. I'm definitely not asleep." Even with his eyes closed, Steve could tell that Danny was talking with his hands.

"Okay then, hush, Daddy Steve is sleeping." Steve was still in a haze from his earlier lovemaking session with Danny, and he didn't want to leave his nice comfy bed.

"Again, I don't think he's sleeping. He is talking and moving. I'm pretty sure Daddy Steve is awake."

Steve realized that he wouldn't be going back to sleep and opened his eyes. Grace and Danny were wide awake and eager for him to join the party. "Okay, I'm awake. What time is it?"

"It's a little after nine. Grace came in about a half an hour ago. We've been waiting for you to wake up. You okay babe?" Danny was a little worried. Steve hadn't slept this long since he had moved in.

"Yeah, I'm usually like this when I get back from training." Steve nodded towards Grace as he emphasized the word 'training'. "It will take me a couple of days to get rested up. I'm glad it's a 3-day weekend. And I'm very happy to be here with my family." Steve hugged Grace tightly and grabbed Danny's hand.

"We're happy you're here, Daddy Steve. It was lonely without you. What's for breakfast?" Grace's stomach growled just then and everyone laughed. They debated the merits of pancakes versus waffles.

"I vote for waffles. Mom remembered how much you liked her waffles and sent a Belgium waffle maker and some mix when she heard you were gone. She said something about since she couldn't send you a care package, you could enjoy it when you came home."

"Danny, Mom's the best. Waffles it is." Steve gave his family one last hug and got up. "Do we have any bacon."

Danny got up and helped Grace out of bed. "Steven, we have bacon and fresh-squeezed orange juice from Nino's. It's a breakfast fit for a SEAL."

Now, Danny and Steve were starving too. They hurried downstairs and started breakfast. Danny made coffee while Steve fried the bacon. Danny mixed up the waffle batter and stuck it in the fridge until the waffle maker heated up. The first waffle came out just as the last piece of bacon came off the griddle.

In another few minutes, all three waffles were done and they sat down to breakfast. Steve lifted the first piece of waffle to his mouth and moaned. "Seriously Danny, this is wonderful. I forgot how wonderful food can taste. MRE's shouldn't even be considered food."

"It looks like you lost a few pounds. We'll put them back on you soon enough. You should be able to take a swim before the gang comes over. I know you're itching to get out there."

"I needed to be with you and Grace last night more. It's the first time I had a family to come home to."

"We needed to be with you too, didn't we Monkey?"

"Yes Danno. Daddy Steve, can I show you my op after breakfast. I worked really hard on it." Grace had spent hours planning and positioning her forces. She couldn't wait to show her daddy.

"Danny, do we have a lot to do before everyone gets here? Will there be time?" Steve knew how important this was to Grace.

"We just need to ice down the drinks and get the hamburgers made up. Lori said she would bring a pasta salad. Kono is bringing corn to roast on the grill. Chin is bringing chips and dip. Max said he would pick up coco puffs for dessert."

"Joe is bringing baked beans. It sounds like we have a party. Grace, we should have time after we clean up breakfast. Do you want to sit in on the briefing Danny?" Steve hoped Danny would accept the invitation. Grace was very clever and caught on quickly.

"I wouldn't miss it. I was hoping you'd ask. Let's clean up these dishes." Danny and Steve cleared the table and washed the dishes quickly. When the kitchen was cleaned up, the family adjourned to Steve's boyhood bedroom. Grace had set up everything in there so it wouldn't be disturbed.

Grace invited Steve and Danny to sit on the bed as she started the meeting. She started at the beginning. Grace told about how the Kens had oppressed the Barbies over the years. She explained how the Joes had located their lair, and how they teamed with the Barbies to infiltrate the Kens gang and take them down. When Grace finished, she looked at Steve expectantly.

Steve stood and circled the mission board Grace had laid out. Suddenly, he snapped to attention and saluted Grace. "Commander Grace, you worked out a brilliant strategy and the execution was flawless. May I call upon you and your team again."

Grace saluted back with a huge grin on her face. "Yes sir, Commander Daddy. My team and I await your next request." She turned back to her troops and gave her orders. "Men and women, you have served well. The party is at Malibu Barbie's house. Dismissed." Then Grace ran and gave Steve and Danny an excited hug.

"Monkey, you did a great job. I'm really proud of you." Danny was surprised at how well Grace had planned and presented her operation. He could see that Steve must have spent hours with Grace, explaining the fine points of strategy.

The rest of the morning went quickly. Steve got his swim in while Danny and Grace ran to the Wal-Mart for paper plates and other picnic supplies. The salt water stung the scratch on his leg, but Steve barely noticed. Steve's muscles were stiff from constant use followed by periods of inactivity. Swimming was the perfect antidote to that. He stretched his arms in long powerful strokes through the water. The temperature was warm yet still refreshing.

Danny was carrying ice in for the coolers just as Steve came from his swim. "Give me a couple of minutes to put on dry clothes and I'll help." Steve knew that Danny had put a lot of work into supper last night and wanted to do more of the work today. He couldn't wait to see the rest of his 5-0 family. He was surprised how much he missed Chin's quiet intellect, Kono's ready laugh, Max's quirky reasoning, and even Lori's on-point analysis.

Steve was still making up hamburger patties when Chin came in. He brought his pretty doctor girlfriend, Malia. "It's okay that I brought a date with me, isn't it?" Steve had raised his eyebrows in when Chin and Malia came in. "Malia made fresh salsa and a seven-layer dip. It's terrific."

"Danny must have known. I wondered why he bought so much meat. It's great; we're having a party and the more, the merrier. Just stick whatever needs to stay cold in the fridge."

Soon, Kono came in with Charlie Fong. The corn was already prepped for the grill and in a cooler. Steve was pleased to see Kono and Charlie together. Charlie had been very concerned for Kono during her suspension. It was obvious that he had a little crush on her. Steve thought they made a good couple; at least Charlie would be tolerant of the demands of 5-0.

Now that Steve had finished with the hamburger patties and washed his hands, he exchanged hugs with both Chin and Kono. Danny and Grace came downstairs to greet their guests. Danny had braided Grace's hair and they were both dressed for an afternoon of sun and water. Steve could detect the faint scent of the sun-block Danny used.

Chin and Kono teased that Danny had been a real slave driver in Steve's absence. "Hey, I just asked myself what would an insane super-SEAL do, and then I did the opposite." The banter was good-natured and comforting. Steve had been a little anxious about the transition back to civilian life. Now he realized that his family would give him any help he needed.

Lori and Max came in almost together. Steve was happy that they had opted for the over-sized fridge. It was full now with the addition of the pasta salad and cocoa puffs. Joe came in just as everyone was moving outside. He stowed the beans in the oven on low.

"It looks like the gang is all here. Thanks for the invite."

"You're family now Joe, whether you like it or not. And you were right; it is easier when there's someone to come home to. Usually, I find myself replaying the mission for the first few days after it's over. Instead I had a nice nap with Grace, a great meal courtesy of Danny, and a movie. I got a good night's sleep and waffles for breakfast."

"Hell, if you get tired of them, I'll take them. Your dad would be pleased that you've found family. Shall we join the party. Kono said she would bring an extra board for me."

Everyone had a great time. It was agreed that there would be no shop talk; Steve could catch up on 5-0 business on Tuesday. Malia showed a talent for sand castles and spent time with Grace building a masterpiece. Grace and Danny demonstrated their burgeoning ability with a surfboard; Joe showed the group that he still had a few skills on a board. Charlie and Max set up volleyball net, and everyone joined in the game. Lori had a wicked spike and serve. Steve, Danny, Lori, Max, and Grace won both games against Chin, Malia, Kono, Charlie, and Joe.

Steve manned the grill while the others set up the rest of the meal. Danny had spent a lot of the afternoon lounging in his favorite chair, observing the festivities in quiet contentment. He thought about how his life had changed since the crazy SEAL invaded his life. A little over a year ago, Rachel was in the driver's seat and had it all. Danny had a miserable apartment, a police department that barely tolerated him, an ex-wife who screwed him over every chance she got, and a stranger who was father to his Grace.

Now, Danny and Steve shared everything: home, work, daughter. Against all odds, Steve was his partner and his lover. In less than four months, they would pledge their love and commitment in front of their family and friends. Danny was so happy that he had trouble working up a rant about pineapple on pizza anymore, although it really was an abomination.

"Danno, are you going to join the rest of us, or have you taken root there?" Steve could see that Danny was almost half-asleep and hated to rouse him. Danny had a really dopey grin on his face. Steve fell a little more in love with Danny every time he saw him like this.

"I'll be right there." Danny was surprised to see the beach in front of him empty. When had everyone gone up to the house?

The tables were laden with food. Steve had to bring second table out to accommodate the bigger group. It was a good thing Chin had brought over extra chairs. Unlike the last cookout, the 5-0 family was complete again. Kono was back with her family.

Grace cleared her throat and asked, "Can I say the blessing?" They didn't always say 'Grace' before meals, but she thought it was a good day to be thankful.

"I think that's a great idea, Grace." The group quieted and waited for Grace to start.

"Lord, thank you for the food. Thank you for bringing Daddy Steve home. Thank you for bringing Kono back with the family. Thank you for our big family. Amen." Grace looked up to see if she did it right.

Chin raised his glass and said, "Great job, Grace. Here's to our family, together again at last."

Everyone raised the glass and said, "To family". It was a perfect meal. The burgers were juicy, the beans spicy, the corn sweet and crisp. Steve was struck with the idea again that this is why he served, both with the SEALs and with 5-0. Steve and his teams kept the islands safe for families to have times like today.

Lori found the entire day fascinating. She knew that the 5-0 team was a close-knit group, but she had no idea that they indeed had become an extended family. She had no family locally and had grown accustomed to being alone much of the time. Her work schedule left little time for dating or forging close friendships. Now Lori saw that the 5-0 team might alleviate some of her loneliness. She seldom admitted to being lonely, but now she admitted to her feelings.

Lori knew the group was accepting her, not when she got the invitation but when Chin assigned her clean-up duty. Guests are served; family helps with the dishes. Steve was helping her fold up the extra table and chairs. "I appreciate the invitation for today Steve. I didn't have anything planned for the weekend."

"You're welcome Lori. We usually get together once or twice a month. I've got the only place big enough for the whole gang, and the private beach is a plus. I guess you can tell by now that we're not just co-workers; we're a family. Be prepared to have people interfere in your personal life, nag you when you don't take care of yourself, and otherwise not let you get away with a thing."

Lori laughed and told him, "It sounds perfect."

Steve gave her his goofy grin and replied, "It is perfect."

By the time that everyone had gone home, the kitchen was spotless and the area outside was back to normal. Grace and Danny went up to shower while Steve locked everything up. Steve took his shower while Danny helped Grace with her hair. It was too late to start a movie, so they opted for story time instead. Steve thought back to his first night of deployment; he had dreamed that Grace was reading a story in the big bed he shared with Danny.

Grace had brought her newest book in and was propped up against the pillows with Danny. He was surprised to see them there when he came out of the bathroom. "Grace started story time in here the first night you were gone and it kind of continued that way."

Steve shook his head and laughed. "That first night, I had a dream where Grace was reading to us in here. Let's get started."

They took turns reading, everyone enjoying the story. They were all tired from their day in the surf and the sun. The party had helped restore a little more of their routine life, and it had been interesting watching the additions to the group interact with everyone else.

Grace finally wound down enough for bedtime. Steve and Danny tucked her in and went downstairs. Both were tired but not ready for bed yet. Besides, Steve had a case of the munchies. "Is there any cobbler left from last night?"

"You're still hungry after that meal we had?" Danny couldn't eat another bite.

"Yeah, that's another side effect of a mission. Our meals were a little sparse. It takes me a while not to be hungry all the time. Like you said, I dropped a few pounds I didn't need to lose." Steve found the leftover cobbler and heated a piece in the microwave. He added two scoops of ice cream and settled on the couch next to Danny. The cobbler was almost as good the second time around.

"Sure you don't want a bite, just a little one?" Steve waved a spoonful of cobbler and ice cream under Danny's nose.

"Stephen, you're eating dessert out of a serving bowl with a tablespoon. Are you a teenage boy again? I haven't done that since I was 16." Danny shook his head but accepted the offered bite anyway.

"Don't knock it babe. I'll be on a sugar high when I'm done with this. We'll see what else I can do like a teenager when I'm done." Steve had gotten his second-wind during story time and would be ready to play when he finished his cobbler. For now, he was content to settle in and watch 'Magnum, PI' re-runs with Danny.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

Danny and Steve watched the 'Magnum, PI' episode with interest. Danny made fun of Magnum's loud Hawaiian shirts and the older cars. Steve took exception to the car insults; his dad's Marquis was sitting in the garage, now mostly functional.

Danny was ready to go to bed until he saw that 'Barney Miller' was on next. Danny was young enough that the show was already off the air by the time he viewed the show for the first time. "Babe, we have to watch this. It's about a New York squad room. The characters are classic. Fish reminds me of an old sergeant we had on the force when I was a rookie. He looked old enough to be retired, but then I found out he was only in his mid-fifties."

Steve had something else in mind for the rest of the evening, but he noticed that Danny perked up when the show came on. He admitted later that the show was very funny, and he really liked the characters. Then an episode of 'Night Court' came on. Most of the show's action took place in a courtroom, the judge's office, and the hallway.

It wasn't even a tight courtroom drama; it was a comedy depicting the oddball cast of characters who were tried in night court. The judge and his supporting cast were even more oddball. The judge loved Mel Torme, hated Barry Manilow, and liked to do magic tricks. Mac kept the cases on track, Roz was one of his trusty bailiffs, Christine was the naïve public defender, and Dan Fielding was the randy DA. The most unique character was Bull, the over-sized bailiff, whose appearance frightened children. Yet, Bull was almost childlike in his manner.

It was the episode where Bull was a ventriloquist. His dummy looked exactly like Bull; in fact, it almost looked more lifelike that Bull. Every time the dummy spoke, Steve and Danny cracked up. As the show went on, Steve realized that Danny liked these shows because they were just across the river from his home in Jersey. Steve vowed to find more of the shows based on the East Coast since they made Danny so happy.

When the show was over, Danny turned the TV off. "Thanks for being patient. I know you wanted to go upstairs earlier. I used to watch the reruns in my apartment in Jersey after the divorce, before Rachel moved here. It was a miserable time, and these shows were the high point of my day. It was nice to watch them now that my life isn't so crappy anymore. In fact, my life is just about perfect now."

Danny leaned over and kissed Steve. It started out soft and turned steamy quickly. "Your life is only just about perfect? I was hoping for higher than that." Steve protested but stopped when Danny slipped his hands under Steve's t-shirt.

"It would be perfect if we were upstairs, in bed, and naked." Danny wanted to reciprocate the attention that Steve had showed him earlier this morning.

"I say we go for perfect." Steve pulled Danny up and snapped the lamp off. They hurried upstairs to the bedroom and quickly undressed.

"Did you lock the door?" Danny didn't want Grace walking in on them.

"Yes, and why are you still talking?" Steve pushed Danny down on the bed and quickly joined him.

"Not so fast. I'm in charge tonight." Danny flipped Steve on his back and held them there. "I had a nice chance to rest up today, and I'd like to see what else you can do like a teenager now. Well, as long as it's not wreck my car or stuff me in my locker."

Steve went on sensory overload. He was coming down from his sugar high and craving something else. This would do nicely. Danny was careful to avoid Steve's bruises, but otherwise he was a little rough. Some of the frustrations of the last couple of weeks came through. Every time Steve tried to touch him, Danny pushed his hands down to the bed. "Stay put, and I don't want to tell you again."

Steve was a little frustrated now. Danny drove him crazy when he was like this. When Danny finally relented and let Steve join in the fun, Steve flipped Danny on his back. They tussled for control until neither could exhibit any control. They were breathless and laughing by the time the fireworks were over.

"Danno, I never know what to expect in the bedroom with you. I never thought sex could be like this. Every time is like the first time. I never stop wanting you." Steve kissed Danny, back to tender now.

"I know babe. It's like that for me too. I probably didn't have as much experience as you before I married Rachel, but I did date some. None of them, including Rachel, made me feel like this. Do you think it will always be like this?" Danny thought he and Rachel would be together forever, but it didn't last.

"I think it will be close to like this if we really work at it. We've had a couple of arguments and got through them without inflicting any permanent damage. We survived my deployment. I love you and Grace more than I thought possible. I would do anything to keep you in my life."

"I love you too Steve. You're Grace's Dad now. You understand why my work is so important, because it's important to you. You put up with my rants, and you respect me at work. I don't want any of that to ever change.

"Maybe we should start thinking about what we want to put in our vows. I think we should say what's important to us as a couple and as a family. I'd like to include vows to Grace in the ceremony. What do you think?" Steve had thought about being legally joined to Danny while he was on deployment.

_Earlier this week_

One of the last nights before they raided the cartel headquarters, Steve's team joined him in the mess tent for a late night bull session. They discussed Steve's relationship with Danny; Steve had obviously enjoyed women when they knew him before. One of the guys asked Steve how he ended up liking men now.

"I guess you just have to know Danny. He was divorced when I met him; his wife remarried and moved their daughter to Hawaii with her new husband. Danny surprised them all by moving to Hawaii too. Rachel screwed him over on visitation every chance she got. Anyone else would have just given up and moved back. Not Danny. Even though he hated almost everything about island life and was having difficulty fitting in at HPD, even though he left a big loving family in New Jersey, Danny stayed for Grace."

"He's passionate about everything; you can tell what he's feeling because he tells you whether or not you want to know. He talks with his hands. Danny is an outstanding detective, and he's great with victims and witnesses. Danny is several inches shorter and several pounds lighter than most of our perps, and that never stops him from going after them. He usually takes his man down too. He's my partner and my second-in-charge. He's the best dad I've ever met."

"You asked me why I started liking men. I don't like men; I love Danny. I don't know when I started loving him, but I couldn't stop if I wanted to. I guess it's the same for Danny. We just know we belong together. Now, I'm working hard on being a good dad to our daughter, Grace. We have joint custody of her, and she spends more time with us than with her mother. She calls me Daddy or Daddy Steve; when we're working on one of our special ops, I'm Commander Daddy. She comes to attention and salutes like a pro. I love her as much as I love Danny."

"I've been mostly alone since I was 16 years old. Now I have a family to go home to. It's the best feeling in the world. Do you have any other questions?"

The SEAL sitting closest to him answered for the group. "Yeah, when's the wedding and do we get an invite?"

Steve smiled at his team now. "We're having a civil union ceremony on the beach behind my house. Danny's thinking just after midnight on New Year's Eve. January 1st is the day that civil unions become legal in Hawaii. If any of you can make it, I would love for you to be present. Danny's family is coming in from New Jersey. Other than my 5-0 team and my sister Mary, you guys are the closest I get to family. I'll make sure I have addresses for you before we go our separate ways."

_Present Time_

"Oh, and I should warn you that the party is probably going to be a little bigger than we planned. My SEAL team asked to come. I think they want to meet the man who can actually put up with me."

Danny got his own version of 'Aneurism Face'. "You told them about us?"

Steve stroked Danny's forehead to erase the worry lines. "Danny, they asked me about it, when I started liking men. I told them that I didn't like men; I loved you. I told them that you were a great dad, a great detective, a great partner, and that I couldn't imagine not loving you. I told them how much I loved Grace. Some of them already knew we were together. When I was finished, they wanted to know when the wedding was and could they come."

Danny relaxed when he heard Steve's declaration. Danny gives the impression of a supremely confident individual, but he had doubts like anyone else. Sometimes he worried when a beautiful woman flirted with Steve. Sometimes he worried when another man flirted with Steve; it happened more often once it was known that Danny and Steve were domestic partners.

Danny remembered when Steve had told Danny's mother that he loved him. He remembered when he told the governor and later the 5-0 team that they were together. Now Steve had told his SEAL team that he loved Danny and Grace. Danny finally knew in his heart that this would be forever for them.

"I can't wait to meet them then. If they're part of your SEAL team, then they're family too." Danny kissed Steve hard to punctuate his point.

Steve had his goofy grin on now. "Yeah, I knew you'd get it. I'm fading fast Danno. Let's get cleaned up and get some sleep."

It was late when Steve turned the bedside lamp off. He barely remembered when Danny spooned behind him. He was already dreaming of New Year's Eve.

Steve and Danny woke late on Sunday morning. Grace was sleeping much later than usual. "I think it's going to take a few more days before we get rested up." Steve was on his back with Danny curled up against his side. Steve kissed Danny softly and continued. "I need to finish my laundry so I can repack my ready bag. I don't expect to use it any time soon, but it's standard protocol to have it packed. Maybe we can have another family game day. We have today and tomorrow before we go back to work or school. I think we need to take it easy."

"That sounds like a great plan. We can fix something simple for dinner, if you've finished eating like a teenager." Danny thought he'd be happy staying in bed with Steve like this if Grace wasn't down the hall. He heard doors opening in the hallway and knew that Grace was finally up. "Sounds like Grace is up."

A few minutes later, they heard a little knock on the door and Grace peered in to check on them. "Is it okay for me to come in?"

Danny scooted to the side enough to make room for Grace. "We've been waiting for you Monkey. How are you today?"

Grace crawled up the middle of the bed and slipped under the sheet. Then both dads closed the gap and cuddled with her. "I'm really happy to be with my Danno and Daddy. Can we stay here for a little while?"

Steve smiled and gave her a little hug. "What's the matter Grace? Are you feeling okay?" He put his hand to her forehead to check for a fever, but Grace was cool to the touch.

"I'm not sick or anything. I had a bad dream last night. Daddy Steve wasn't home and we didn't know where he was or when we would see him again. I was afraid to come in here in case it wasn't a dream." Grace started to cry as she finished her last sentence. She was mad at herself for crying now. She hadn't cried the whole time Daddy Steve as gone, and now she was being a big crybaby.

Steve sat up in bed and pulled Grace onto his lap. "It's okay Grace. Let it all out. It's okay to cry. You were so brave when I was gone. I'm home now." Steve was rocking Grace and rubbing circles on her back. He felt his own tears running down his cheeks.

Danny sat up and pulled both father and daughter in for a hug. "That goes for you too Steve. It's okay to let it out." Danny had tears of his own too. They all stayed joined in the embrace until Grace finally quieted down.

"Daddy, I'm sorry for being such a big baby." Grace was wiping her face with her hands and kept her head down. She didn't want to see the disappointment on Daddy Steve's face.

Steve lifted her chin to meet her eyes. "Grace, I am so proud of how brave you were. You went to school and took care of Danno. You planned your mission, and did a brilliant job. Bravery isn't the absence of fear; it is when you are afraid and you carry on anyway. You did a great job, and Danno and I are very proud of you."

Danny pulled a wad of tissues out of the box and gave one to Steve and Grace, then kept one. "Grace, we were talking before you came in. We thought we would have another family game day. I think we're all still a little tired. It will be just the three of today. How does that sound?"

"I'd like that." Grace had stopped crying and was hugging both daddies.

Danny thought that they all could use a little pampering today. "Let get some breakfast and watch morning cartoons. How does that sound?" They had a 'no TV during meals' rule, but Danny thought today could be a good exception to the rule.

They finally made it downstairs fifteen minutes later. Everyone was still in their jammies and would remain that way for the rest of the day. They took their breakfast of coffee, juice, milk, and oatmeal into the living room and watched Looney Tunes the rest of the morning.

Steve made tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for a late lunch. Everyone was still feeling sluggish, so they adjourned upstairs for a nap in the big bed. Grace never strayed far from Steve's side all day. They finally broke out the board games late in the afternoon. Danny won at 'Sorry' while Steve won at 'Clue'. Grace won the two games of 'Scooby-Do Monopoly' they played. Steve had Chinese food delivered for supper after they decided that nobody wanted to wash dishes that night.

The day ended with "The Incredibles", one of Danny's favorite animated movies. By the end of the day, Grace seemed more like herself. Danny let her take a bath in the big tub in the master bathroom. Danny poured a capful of bubble bath in the tub before Steve could stop him. When Danny turned the jets on, the bubbles quickly mounded over the top of the tub. Danny slipped when he tried to turn the jets off.

"Stephen, help me out here. I can't find Grace." Danny was frantic now.

Steve could hear Grace giggling in the foam. "I'm right here Danno. I'm okay." Grace was having the time of her life. Steve was laughing with her. Mary had made the same mistake years ago with the same result. Steve carefully located the switch and powered the tub down. Then he sat on the wet floor and laughed at the mess. Grace was covered in bubbles but otherwise okay.

Danny was a little angry that Steve thought it was so funny. Once he saw that Grace was okay, he surveyed the damage. Before he could stop himself, Danny was laughing too. "I think we're in the middle of a 'Three Stooges' movie.

"I call Moe. Grace, you can be Larry. Danny, I guess that makes you either Shemp or Curly Joe." Steve managed to get himself under control. "Danny, Mary did the same thing when she was a little older than Grace. I thought my dad would blow a gasket. I never saw him laugh as hard as he did that day."

Danny pulled the drain and got most of the bubbles down. Steve brought in some old towels and dried the floor up. Grace finally got her soak in the big tub and dressed in clean pajamas. Danny and Steve took their showers since they were already soaked. The family had story time, back in Grace's bed now.

It had been a lazy day for the McGarrett-Williams family, with a little crying and much laughter. Everyone slept well that night and would be ready to face a new day in the morning.

_I made the mistake of pouring a little body wash in a Jacuzzi tub one night in a hotel room. You only __ever __make that mistake once._


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

Monday morning was much better for the McGarrett-Williams family. They woke up a little after eight. Grace took a running leap into bed with Steve and Danny, and they spent some time planning their day. They actually changed out of their sleep clothes so Steve could take them to Rainbow for loco moco. Danny insisted that they stop at the store so he could buy some baby back ribs to grill for supper.

Steve finally washed, dried, and packed his clothes in his ready bag. He also took a long run followed by his usual swim. Grace finished her homework while Danny paid the household bills that were due in the first part of the month. Steve and Danny had established a joint account to pay for items for the household and for Grace's expenses. Steve had made an impassioned argument that as one of Grace's dads, he should be responsible for some of the cost of her care. Danny started to argue, but he stopped when he realized how important it was to Steve.

Steve, Danny, and Grace took a stroll on the beach after lunch. Grace collected shells, an activity she never tired of. They played catch for a while, and then threw Grace's football around. Steve made German Potato Salad and a fresh fruit salad to go with the ribs. They all finished the cobbler; Steve was back to eating like a grownup again. Steve made a batch of granola bars for lunches, putting cranberries and butterscotch bits in instead of raisins and chocolate chips. Steve and Danny packed their lunches as well as lunch for Grace. Things were finally getting back to normal.

Grace took an early shower and was ready for bed in time for a long story time. She seemed to be doing much better today. Grace had spent time in her room playing with her Barbies and their new boyfriends, the GI Joes. She also had a long phone call with her mommy. Rachel had been worried about Grace in Steve's absence and was relieved to hear that Grace was feeling better.

Rachel spoke to Danny briefly and asked that he call when Grace was in bed for the night. Danny was curious about the request, but he and Rachel were getting along well enough that Danny no longer expected the worst.

Grace enjoyed her story time with her dads and fell asleep quickly. Downstairs, Steve and Danny sat at John McGarrett's old desk and called Rachel on the speakerphone.

"Danny, thank you for calling. Is Grace in bed already?" Rachel was relieved that Danny called so promptly. She was often tired in the evening, and the reason for the phone call weighed heavily on her.

"Yes, she had a good day and wanted to be ready for school tomorrow. What's up Rachel?" Danny knew Rachel was stalling.

"Is Steve there also? This concerns both of you." Rachel knew Steve would have questions and wanted to get all the facts on the table.

"I'm here Rachel. Are you feeling okay? Is everything alright?" Steve was a little worried now. He knew whatever Rachel wanted to discuss was serious.

"I'm feeling well these days, just a little tired. Everything is fine. I wanted to discuss an opportunity Stan and I have. Let me start by saying that we will not be taking Grace away. In fact, it will involve Grace staying with both of you for an extended period of time."

"Stan will be general manager of his resort when it opens next fall. The owners anticipate a full house during the holidays, and they want him to spend this holiday season touring other world class resorts to observe how they celebrate the holidays. I'll be able to travel with him. We'll be gone from Nov. 20th through Jan. 2nd."

"It will be my last opportunity to travel before the baby comes. I hate to be away from Grace for that long, but it's a wonderful opportunity for Stan and me. We're doing well together now, but I know it will be stressful after I have the baby. It was tough enough when I had Grace, and you were a hands-on dad, Danny. I doubt I will be that fortunate again. At least we will have this time together."

"Danny, I know you've told me that you want Grace with you as often as possible. This will be for more than six weeks. The holidays can get pretty hectic. Stan and I will be happy to pay child support for that time."

Danny cut in now. "Rachel, stop. You will never pay me to have Grace. I want that understood." Danny looked over to Steve, who was doing a totally goofy, yet utterly charming victory dance. "I speak for myself and Steve on this issue. We accept. We'll work out the details later. You sound tired. Why don't you go and put your feet up."

Rachel was so relieved but she wanted to make sure that Steve was in agreement. She didn't want to further her marriage at the expense of Danny's relationship with Steve. Steve had been so good for Danny and a wonderful father to Grace. "Steve, is Danny correct? Do you agree?"

"Hey Steve, get back in here. Rachel wants to be sure that you want Grace for the whole holiday season. You'll have to excuse the goofy super-SEAL. He's doing a little victory dance around the living room."

Steve finally made it back to the study. "Rachel, Danny and I are in total agreement on this. We will take Grace for as long and as often as we can. I love her; we both do. I'm sorry that she was so upset while I was deployed. I swear I will make it up to her."

"Steve, I spoke to Grace. It sounds like you already have made it up to her. Then it's all settled. I'll tell Stan to work out our itinerary. Can you and Steve come over after work on Friday? We can have dinner and tell Grace together. I don't want her to feel that we're abandoning her."

It was the first time that Rachel had included Steve in one of their family discussions. This was a big deal. "We'll be there. Maybe we can talk again before then and brainstorm how to best present it to Grace."

"Thanks Steve. You too, Danny. That's a good idea. I am feeling rather tired now. I'll call in a couple of days. Good night." Rachel disconnected the call, feeling hopeful for the future. She really wanted this time with Stan. Now it was going to happen, thanks to her ex-husband and his partner.

Danny and Steve exchanged high-fives when Danny turned the phone off. "Can you believe it? We'll have Grace for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day. We hit the holiday jackpot." Danny was in heaven.

Steve' mind was racing. "We can have a big tree like you had back in Jersey. I still have boxes of ornaments we used when I was a kid. I bet your mom can find a nice Santa suit for you to wear. We can decorate the outside of the house, and go Christmas caroling with our 5-0 family."

Danny grabbed Steve and kissed him hard. "Can you believe it babe? Grace will be here for the whole time our family comes in after Christmas for our ceremony. Last year, I was lucky to get her for a few hours on Christmas Eve. I had the dinky tree and the humongous Santa suit."

Steve hugged Danny. "Danno, it will be my first Christmas with family since Mom died. I feel like I just saw Santa putting presents under my tree."

Steve and Danny finally calmed down enough to go upstairs. They came together in the middle of the bed. They were so happy and excited; they talked for a while, reminiscing about their favorite holiday memories. It was late by the time they slept.

The first day back to work or school after a holiday weekend is always rough. Not so for the McGarrett-Williams household. All was right with the world. Steve was safely home from unknown dangers, and both dads were rejoicing the prospect of a holiday season with Grace. Grace was still unaware of the plans, but she could tell that Danno and Daddy Steve were in a very good mood. The family had breakfast, grabbed their lunches, and went out to face the world.

Steve and Danny parked at Grace's school and went in to talk to her teacher while Grace put her backpack up. They explained that Steve was back from training and that Grace seemed to be adjusting back to their routine. They told the teacher about Grace's little meltdown on Saturday and how they handled that and the remainder of the weekend.

"Commander McGarrett, Detective Williams, we've been concerned about Grace. We knew the commander was performing his active duty. She has been very quiet and a little sad for a couple of weeks. It's very nice to see you back Commander. I must say that I wasn't sure how well Grace's home situation with you would work out. However, I wish that all our parents were as concerned about their children. When Grace is with you, she's always on time and neatly dressed. Her homework is complete and she has studied for her tests. You even pack a healthy lunch for her. It sounds like whatever you did this weekend, it certainly worked. You know, she's very proud of both of you. I'd better get back to my room. Thank you for keeping me up to date. I look forward to seeing you both at Parent-Teacher's Conferences."

Steve and Danny gave Grace one last hug and walked back to the Camaro. "Wow, that's the nicest anyone here has ever been to me." Danny was shaking his head in disbelief.

"Face it Danno, we've become the stable home for Grace. Rachel is focusing more on Stan than Grace, plus she's bringing another child into their home in a few months. I'm not suggesting that Rachel loves Grace less. It's just that we're more of a team working toward the same goal. Rachel is being pulled in different directions. It's got to be tough on her. I think we'll be seeing even more of Grace when the baby comes."

"That would be great for us. I just hope that Grace won't feel that she's not important to Rachel anymore. I know that's not true. I believe that Rachel is totally overwhelmed by circumstances. Like you said, you and I have become true co-parents. We love her, physically take care of her, and we discuss what's best for Grace when things come up. I think Rachel is on her own. Stan was always happy to write checks and spoil her. But I'm sure he never fixed her hair or cuddled with her on a weekend morning. He's probably never read a bedtime story, played with Barbie, or mopped up the bathroom when a little bubble bath got out of hand."

Danny and Steve laughed at the memory. "Did we get a picture of the mess? I wanted to send one to Mary."

"Of course I did. It was a great end to a really tough weekend. I've never seen Grace like that. You were really good with her Steve. I think she senses that Stan is pulling back and that Rachel's attention is divided. It helped her to know that you love her and that you are proud of her. Shall we head to the office? I'm sure that Chin, Kono, and Lori are waiting to tattle on me for everything I did while you were gone." Danny slipped into the passenger seat of the Camaro.

Steve laughed and started the car. "Hey, if you solved the case, none of the team is in the hospital or jail, and the governor hasn't called, you did a good job."

The team was waiting for them at headquarters with fresh coffee and malasadas. Danny only hesitated a moment before grabbing a fresh cup and a malasadas. "Oh, I've forgotten how good these are. I used to have them almost every day before I moved in with Dr. Oz here."

Steve helped himself too, and then shot back, "Yeah, well your blood pressure is in the normal range and your cholesterol dropped 30 points. You'll still be bitching at me when we're eighty.

"I hope so, babe. I really hope so." Danny took the chair at the head of the table. He briefed Steve on their activities of the last two weeks. Steve asked questions periodically and then would nod his approval.

Finally, Danny sat down and let Steve take over. "It sounds like everyone did a fantastic job. It made it easier for me to be away because I knew that 5-0 was in good hands. The governor was also happy with your performance. Do you have any questions?"

Chin spoke up first. "Boss, we heard some chatter about a new drug cartel moving in. The head has some ties to the group we took down last year. Do you want Kono, Lori and I to check into it?"

Steve glanced at Danny, who gave an almost imperceptible shrug. Steve looked closely at his team and simply said, "I don't think there will be any problem with that cartel." Lori started to question Steve's decision, but Chin stopped her.

"Are you sure boss?" Chin and Kono had discussed Steve's assignment and both concurred that he was on a special op with his SEAL buddies. Chin had also heard that the cartel had been neutralized recently and was fishing for information now.

"I'm quite certain Chin. Anyone else have a question? Good, I suggest we all get back to work." Steve stood and went to his office. Just as he was sitting down, Chin stuck his head in. "I guess we're not the only team to do a good job. I wondered if that was you. And I know, I wasn't here and we didn't have this conversation."

It was a short week with the usual assignments. The team monitored on-going cases and provided assistance to HPD when asked. Steve was trying to mend fences for all the times that he had upstaged or even attacked HPD. He knew they thought that the governor had ordered Steve to make nice with HPD, but Steve recognized that they all needed to work together.

Thursday night, Steve and Danny called Rachel again, and they discussed how they should tell Grace about Rachel's extended trip. They agreed that Grace needed to know that they all loved her, and that Rachel wanted Grace to have more time with Danny and Steve to make up for all the time that Danny hadn't been able to see Grace much since the divorce. They also agreed that Grace would know ahead of time that Danny and Steve were coming to dinner so that she didn't suspect the worst when she saw them. They intended to show family unity.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

Steve and Danny pulled up to the Edwards house after work on Friday. They had stopped briefly at the house to change into fresh clothes. Steve wore a button down shirt and dress slacks. It was his first family summit and he wanted to look his best.

Danny knew that Steve was nervous, and he was utterly charmed by it. The super-SEAL could face down terrorist without breaking a sweat, but he was nervous about tonight. Danny thought he loved Steve as much as any person could love another; then, the big goofball does something like this and he finds that he loves Steve just a little more.

"Take it easy Steve. You know everyone here. We're here for Grace." Danny took Steve's hand in encouragement. Steve gave his sweet little half-smile and nodded.

The door opened before Danny could ring the bell. Grace greeted them in delight. "Danno, Daddy Steve, you're here." She pulled them down for a hug. We're having butterfish for dinner. I told Mommy how much I liked it, and she made it." Grace pulled them into the sitting room where Stan was having a glass of wine.

"McGarrett, Williams, I appreciate you coming tonight. Rachel's in the kitchen fixing dinner. Can I get you something to drink?" Stan was really nervous around these men. He was carrying a lot of guilt. Stan had been fond of Grace, but he mostly resented her now. Without Grace, Rachel would have no contact with Danny. Without Grace, Rachel would not have cheated with Danny.

Rationally, he knew that it was not Grace's fault. He had watched the two men as they approached the house. Stan hadn't believed that Steve and Danny were together until now. He couldn't miss the affection between the men as Danny reached out to reassure Steve. The look Steve had given Danny was the same look that Rachel used to give him. He would do anything to have her look at him like that again.

Their marriage was stronger now, but he still felt like they were walking in quicksand sometimes. Stan was excited about the baby, but he knew that Rachel would be even more stressed out then. He hoped that this trip would strengthen their marriage enough to withstand what would come later.

Danny spoke first. "A beer sounds good, don't you think Steve?" Danny wondered if Rachel had taken cooking lessons, because she wasn't much of a cook when they were married. He shot Steve a look that said 'we need to be in the kitchen'.

Steve remembered Danny's comments about Rachel culinary expertise, or lack of same. "That sounds good to me. Is the beer in the kitchen? We'll go with you. Come on, Grace, let's see if we can help with dinner. We all pitch in at home, don't we?"

Danny was grateful that Steve had picked up on his cue. He imagined that Rachel was a little frazzled by now. Sure enough, Rachel was trying to finish a salad and start some rice and veggies. Danny lagged back a little and let Steve take the lead.

Steve walked over and kissed Rachel on the cheek. "Rachel, you're looking a little pale. Let me take care of this." Steve took the box of rice from Rachel and read the instructions. He measured some water and poured it in the pan to boil. "Rachel, sit for a bit. Grace, why don't you get your mom a glass of water? Danny can finish the salad."

Within minutes, final dinner preparations were underway. Stan stood by helplessly as Team McGarrett-Williams took over his kitchen. Rachel was embarrassed by her inability to pull a simple meal together, but Steve charmed her with his best smile and easy banter.

"Did Danny tell you that I got stuck in the governor's waiting room for over an hour? I'm reading this women's magazine when a woman walks in and catches me in the act. It turns out she's our newest 5-0 member. Anyway, there were some interesting recipes in the back. It made me think that maybe we should expand our menu at home." Steve is stirring in the rice now and getting the veggies ready to steam.

"Danny and I picked up a couple of cookbooks for beginners. Grace has even made up some of the more simple recipes. Did Grace tell you about the bubble bath episode?" Steve never gave Stan or Rachel a chance to break in. And Danny fell a little bit more in love with Steve. Steve told the story of the bubble bath in the Jacuzzi tub. Steve and Danny came out looking a little foolish, but it was for a good cause. Even Stan relaxed and set the table with Grace's help. He opted for the sunny eating area off the kitchen instead of the formal dining room.

Soon, the families were enjoying dinner. Rachel had obviously bought the fish pre-marinated at Nino's. Danny saw a dessert box from the same store in the fridge when he put the rest of the salad veggies away. Grace talked about her day at school and a homework assignment due Monday. Stan told the men about the resort he would be managing eventually. The rest of the meal was filled with small talk.

After dinner, they all cleared the table and cleaned up the dishes. Rachel put some water on for tea and nodded to the others. It was time to talk to Grace. "Grace, we wanted to talk to you about the holidays. It's still early but Stan and I have been offered the opportunity to travel this year for his job. We'll be gone from the middle of November until after New Year's Day."

"That's a lot of school for you to miss, even with a tutor. Your father and Steve want you to stay with them. Would that be okay with you? Stan and I will miss having you with us, but you missed a lot of time with your dad the last few years. We thought it would make up for some of that time." Grace looked to be deep in thought; Rachel had no idea what she was thinking.

"Will you and Step-Stan come back here to live when you finish your trip?" Grace asked quietly.

"Yes sweetheart, our home is here. We'll be back."

Grace looked at Steve and Danny now. "Is it okay if I stay with you that long?" Grace held her breath, waiting for the answer.

Steve looked at Danny in surprise. Then he turned to Grace. "Grace, I was just telling Danno the other day that I wish you could stay with us all the time. Of course, that would be selfish because your family here loves you too. When your mom called to tell us the news, we were so excited that I'm surprised that we didn't wake you up. We were up half the night making plans." And Danny fell a lot more in love with Steve.

"That's right Monkey. I had to threaten to muzzle the big guy here. I couldn't shut him up. It's the first time in ages that he's had a family for Christmas. It's going to be great."

Grace finally relaxed and grinned, an eerie facsimile of Steve's goofy grin. She hugged Rachel, Stan, Danny and Steve. "It will be okay. I'll miss you Mommy and Step-Stan, but Danno and Daddy Steve need me here. I can call you every day, can't I?"

Stan finally spoke up. He was humbled by the obvious affection between Steve and Grace. He had thought that Steve probably just tolerated Grace for Danny's sake. Now he could see why Grace called him 'Daddy'. The man loved her as much as Williams did. "Of course you can Grace. I can even rig my laptop so you can talk with us over the internet. You'll be able to see us and we can see you if you have a webcam at home."

Danny spoke now. "I'm sure Chin or Kono can get us up to speed. That would be great Stan."

Steve and Danny stayed a little longer for dessert, and then to tuck Grace in. Stan was waiting for them when they came down the stairs. "Danny, Steve, thanks for making tonight easier than I deserve. I would thank you for taking Grace but I know that would be an insult. Instead, I'll just say that Grace is lucky to have two wonderful fathers. It hasn't been easy for her here the last few months. Some of that is my fault. I'll make sure it's better for her from now on. Rachel is really tired and has gone upstairs already. I need to check on her."

"Of course, take care of Rachel. We know the way out. Thanks for dinner." Steve added his thanks and let Danny pull him out to the Camaro. Before he could get in the driver's seat, Danny pulled him down for a hard kiss. "That is for bailing Rachel out without making her feel bad." Danny kissed him again. "And that is for helping Grace see how much she means to all of us."

Steve hugged Danny and got in the driver's seat. Danny slid into the passenger seat and buckled his seat belt. "I knew that money was tight with Stan and Rachel. I had a feeling that she would be doing the cooking. I did most of the cooking whenever we had people over. You know how mom is. Everyone learns to cook and everyone helps at meal time. It never even occurred to Stan to try to help her." Danny was pretty upset at the way that Stan left all the work to Rachel.

"Calm down Danny. I think he got a clue by the time that we were done. If not, I can go back and take care of him for you." Steve looked hopeful at the prospect.

"No, you really did help a lot. I always give you a hard time when you deliberately charm someone, but it worked for Rachel today. And babe, your answer to Grace was perfect. It told her how we feel but acknowledged that Rachel needs her too. But why do I get the feeling that Step-Stan was apologizing for more than being an ass about dinner?" Danny was still upset by Stan's earlier behavior.

"I suspect that he's still pissed about your affair with Rachel, and Grace was a victim of the fallout. I think Stan would be happy if we had Grace all the time and Rachel just got visitation every other weekend. I think Stan finally got the message that you and I are together for keeps. You're no longer a threat to his marriage." Steve didn't care for Stan much, but he had an idea what the man was thinking.

"You and I work together, and then we go home and fix meals, clean the house, cut the grass, pay the bills, and do the laundry together. Working together at home has brought us closer together. I doubt that Stan and Rachael have ever done that. Maybe they will when the baby comes, or it will be left up to Rachel or a nanny to do everything if their financial situation improves."

Danny thought that Steve might be on the right track. "Let's go home babe. I want to put some shorts on and drink beer with you by the beach."

"That sounds like a plan. I have a surprise for you. I'll tell you about it over the beer." Steve had a smug grin and somehow, it made Danny a little afraid. When they arrived home, the men shed their dress clothes and put on shorts. It was warm enough that they didn't need t-shirts.

Steve grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge and they walked out to their favorite chairs. Steve sat for a while, admiring the view. Finally, Danny had waited long enough as far as he was concerned.

"Well, do I get my surprise tonight?" Danny was getting a little pissed.

"Actually, you won't get your surprise for about 2 ½ months. I talked to Mom and Dad today while you were out running down a lead with Lori. Mom wants to come over and help plan the ceremony. I invited them for Thanksgiving week. I was able to use my frequent flier miles to get Mom and Dad seats. They fly in the Sunday before Thanksgiving and will leave the Monday after. I guess Mom can teach us how to cook a turkey this year."

"Wait, you actually got Mom to agree to leave everyone else in Jersey and have Thanksgiving with us? How did you do that? I tried to get her to come before but she didn't want to leave the rest of the family." Danny was really excited at the idea.

"It wasn't really that difficult. When she found out that we were getting Grace for the holidays, I think that closed the deal. She said your family would celebrate the weekend before together. Mary will be in town too, although she's planning on staying with friends. I want to get some new towels for the hall bath. Mom had such nice towels when we were there. And I'll need to find a reading light for the bedside table. Mom likes to read for a while at night before she goes to sleep."

Danny could see Steve ticking items off his mental list. "Wait, Mom and Dad are staying here? You realize she'll be running the house by the end of the first day."

Steve shook his head and laughed. "I can't wait. This place needs a woman's touch, for Grace's sake if not for ours. They can stay in my old room, the one you used for the first few days. Maybe I can get some fancy pillows for the bed."

Danny got this mental image of Steve shopping in the home accessories department of Macy's. "Slow down super-SEAL. The room is very nice the way it is. The lamp and new towels are enough. Besides, Mom would enjoy helping you shop. I think you should take Mom shopping."

Steve saw a mischievous gleam in Danny's eyes. "Why do I think this will be like that ice bath after my cage match?" Steve was a little wary now of the shopping idea.

"Think about it Steve. By then, the masses will be invading the malls and shops to go Christmas shopping. You really don't want to take Mom out in the crowds like that."

"I think you're right. It looks like rain is coming our way. Want to go in?" Steve was already standing up and gave a hand to Danny.

"Yes, I do. I was hoping to have a little private time with my boyfriend. He was very good tonight with my daughter, my ex-wife, and her husband. I would like to show my appreciation. Want to fool around?" Danny waggled his eyebrows and gave his best sexy grin.

"I think I could handle that." Steve took Danny's hand and was led upstairs to their bedroom. Why don't you stay here and get comfortable? I'll go back down and make sure everything is locked up." Danny planned to make tonight special for Steve, for both of them.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

Danny secured the downstairs and stopped by the kitchen for a couple of glasses and some ice. Then he grabbed a bottle from the sideboard where Steve kept the hard liquor. Danny carried everything upstairs and set the glasses on Steve's bedside table. He opened the bottle of seven year old bourbon and poured two drinks on the rocks.

Steve raised his eyebrows in question. "How did you know that Old Weller is my favorite bourbon?"

"Steven, I am a detective. I have ways of finding these things out. Here's to the McGarrett-Williams family." Danny clinked glasses with Steve and took a sip. "That is smooth. Just relax. I have a few things to do."

Steve had already stripped to his boxer briefs and pulled the covers down before propping himself up in bed. He watched Danny pull some candles out and light them. Danny also pulled a bottle of something out and put it on his own table. Danny stripped down completely and went into the bathroom briefly. "I didn't want to do this with cold hands," was Danny's only comment as he came back into the bedroom.

Steve had finished his drink and watched Danny with great interest. He was already a little aroused just watching Danny walk around nude. Danny might be shorter than the average man, but he was powerfully built. Steve loved to watch Danny like this.

"Okay, I need you to lose the briefs and lay on your belly." When Steve complied, Danny straddled Steve's hips and opened the bottle. "Did you hurt your shoulder when you were gone? I've noticed you trying to work out the kinks." Danny poured a small amount out of the bottle and started working on Steve's shoulders and neck.

Steve started to deny any injury, but just then Danny hit a sore spot. Danny was using just the right amount of pressure to ease the ache. "Yeah, I slipped down a ravine and wrenched my shoulder. That's when I got the bruises too. Oh, right there, just like that."

As he worked on Steve's shoulder, Danny told Steve how much he appreciated Steve's help. "You were the only person could defuse that time bomb tonight. If I had rushed in, Stan would have gotten defensive and Rachel would have been more upset. You always charmed her, when you weren't trying to scare her for making my life miserable."

"Even Stan didn't stand a chance. You were a force of nature. You took over her kitchen and gave her a chance to catch her breath. The night should have been a disaster, but you rescued it. You told Grace how much we want her here without making it sound like we were competing for her. I didn't think I could love you more than I did, but tonight I fell even more, even harder. You drive me crazy." Danny was working his way down Steve's back.

It was a good thing that Danny's a natural born talker, because he took his time. He massaged Steve's hips and legs as he told Steve how much he liked his body. Steve groaned when Danny hit a sweet spot on his instep. Danny worked on Steve's biceps and then down to his fingertips. Steve had a trainer work on sore muscles when he played football in high school, but he never had a full body massage.

"Okay Steve, time to turn over." Steve wasn't sure he could move; he finally mustered the energy to roll onto his back. Danny once again straddled Steve's hips; this time, the contact was much more intimate. Danny leaned over and gave Steve a soft kiss. "Still with me babe?"

"I wouldn't be anywhere else Danno. Only with you. I love you so much." Steve's speech was a little slurred, but not from the liquor. Danny had put him in a haze with his hands and his words.

Danny worked on Steve's chest. He had always thought he was a breast man, before Steve. Now he was an abs and pecs man. He loved the feel of hard muscle and the light sprinkling of hair. When Danny moved lower, Steve moaned with pleasure.

Steve reached over to find the bottle. He poured some of the massage lotion on his hand and smoothed it onto both palms to warm it. He reached down and massaged Danny's shoulders. Now both men were lost in a pleasure haze. For now, there were just the two of them.

"It's never been like this Danno. I've never loved anyone the way I love you. I've never wanted anyone the way I want you." Steve needed more from Danny now. He went from being a passive recipient to an aggressive contributor. Soon, they were both slick from the massage lotion and from sweat. They were both a little frantic when they went over the edge together.

They were still tangled together when Danny lifted his head. "I think we'd better hit the shower or we're going to be stuck together in the morning."

Steve tried to move but couldn't make his muscles work yet. "I agree, but it's going to take me a while to get my circulation back. What did you do to me?"

Danny gave Steve a sweet kiss and said, "I just loved you babe. Now and always."

They finally mustered the energy to roll off the bed and into the shower. When they came out of the bathroom and surveyed the bed, they could only laugh.

"It looks like we had an orgy. I think clean sheets are in order." Steve pulled the sheets out of the linen closet while Danny stripped the bed. They made the bed quickly and stuffed the dirty sheets in the laundry basket for tomorrow. Danny extinguished the candles and emptied the remaining ice out of the glasses.

"No Grace tonight. I say we go commando." Danny flopped onto the bed and pulled up the sheet.

Steve followed suit and snapped off the light. He pulled Danny into his arms and soon, both men were asleep.

The fall passed quickly. The McGarrett-Williams family made one last trip to the cabin before their schedule got too crowded. Steve took his family to the homecoming football game at his old high school; fortunately, there was no gang shooting that night.

Danny invited Stan and Rachel over for dinner one Friday night early in October. Steve and Danny discussed it at length and decided that periodic joint family dinners would be helpful for all of them, especially Grace. Steve noticed that Stan was much more relaxed this time. Neither Rachel nor Stan had ever been in Grace's other home, and Grace excitedly showed her room to her mom and stepdad.

Rachel had picked up some of the photos in Grace's room and elsewhere in the house for closer examination. They all seemed to be taken at different times in different places. Steve and Danny seemed to be everywhere with Grace, and they obviously relished their time together.

She watched the men working in the kitchen to put supper on the table. Rachel could see that this was something they did all the time. Each knew what the other needed with just a nod or a gesture. She felt a pang of jealousy. She never had this with Danny, never had this with anyone. She realized that she didn't have it in her to love so freely and completely.

Steve made his mother's pot roast recipe with carrots and potatoes. Danny made peach cobbler for dessert. Stan described some of the cities he would be visiting with Rachel. Steve had been in some of the locations and described his experiences, at least the ones that weren't classified. Once again, he poured on the charm for Rachel. Stan couldn't protest when Steve was so devoted to Danny.

Stan had done a lot of soul-searching after their first joint dinner. Stan could see that Grace sparkled around Steve and Danny. She almost seemed flat in comparison during her time at his home. Stan realized that they did very little as a family once they dropped out of the country club circuit. He knew it would become even more difficult once the baby came.

Stan saw the stack of games in the study and asked about them. Grace explained about their family game days. Stan remembered doing the same thing when he was a boy. At his request, they all played 'Sorry' and 'Clue' after dinner. He did fairly well at 'Sorry', but he should have known better than to play 'Clue' with a couple of law enforcement officers.

Still, he had to admit it was fun, and he couldn't remember the last time he could say that. Before Stan took Rachel home, Grace hugged him without being reminded for the first time in months. "Thanks for coming to dinner Step-Stan. We had a good time, didn't we?" Stan gave Grace his first genuine smile in a very long time. "Yes we did Grace. We need to do this when you're at our home. Will you go to the store with us and pick out some games?" Grace could only nod.

When Steve and Danny tucked Grace into bed that night, she seemed a little quiet. "Is everything okay Monkey? Are you feeling okay?" Steve leaned down to feel her forehead. "She feels cool to me Danny."

"I'm just thinking about tonight. I think that Mommy and Step-Stan had a really good time here. They had more fun here than they do at home. Why?"

Danny looked to Steve for help. Steve shrugged and decided to wing it. "Sometimes, grown-ups forget how to play. That's why we have kids: so you can remind us how to have fun. I never played like this before you and Danno moved in. I had my job and I worked on different things when I came home. Now I have a family to share my life. That's why I'm so excited you're going to be with us for the holidays."

"But Mommy and Step-Stan don't have fun even when I'm with them, not like they did tonight."

Danny picked up where Steve was going. "Maybe we can help them remember how to play. That's what we did tonight. I don't think your mom and Step-Stan have learned how to be a team yet. That's what happens when everything is going okay. You don't learn how to work together. Maybe they can learn by watching us. What I love about our family the most is that we know how to work together and play together. No matter where we are or what we're doing, we always have a good time."

Steve nodded in agreement. "That's what I love too. Now you've had a long day. It's time for you to get some sleep. I love you Grace." Steve leaned down for his goodnight kiss and hug. "I love you too Daddy."

Danny gave Grace a kiss and hug also. "I love you Grace. Sleep tight." Grace held onto Danny for an extra hug. "I love you too Danno. Thanks for inviting Mommy and Step-Stan over tonight."

Danny and Steve went downstairs for a beer and to chill out a little before bedtime. They sat in silence, thinking about Grace's words.

Finally Danny spoke. "I don't know if Rachel and Stan are going to make it. I think there's love there but no joy. I remember how it was with Rachel in the beginning. We didn't have a lot of money so we did cheap stuff for fun. We'd save our change and play in the arcade at the boardwalk. We would go on bike rides and stop for an ice cream cone on the way home. We didn't have much but we laughed a lot. I don't see that for them."

Steve had some ideas. "Stan asked Grace if she would go with them to help pick out some games. That's a baby step. We should have them over again before their trip. And maybe we could offer extra time with Grace before the trip. It wouldn't have to be a whole week, or even a whole day. I'm sure Rachel would like to have her after school or for an overnight stay." Steve hated to give up 'Grace' time, as he thought of it, but he believed that they all had a vested interest in helping Rachel and Stan.

Steve didn't believe that Danny might be tempted to try again with Rachel if her marriage to Stan ended. He knew that ship had sailed. But Grace would be hurt if her mother's second marriage failed. Anything that hurt Grace would hurt them all.

Danny nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea. I've been keeping my distance from Rachel because I don't want to aggravate the situation with Stan. But it seems to be okay if both of us are around. I never thought of us as a model family, but I guess we might be. I don't know if they have any friends now that their funds have dried up. Maybe we could offer friendship. It would be a little weird at first, but I think we could do it for Grace."

"Danno, you know I would do anything for Grace. We can plan it like an op."

Danny raised his hand in protest. "Steven, these people are quasi-family. You can't think of it as an op."

Steve smirked at Danny. "Hey, that's how I got you over here that first weekend with Grace. I thought of it as 'Operation Danno'. I'm not real proud of it now, but I wanted you with me. It took me only a few days to realize that you can't do that with people you love. I loved you and Grace too much to try to manipulate you into doing anything. So it's not an op. Suppose we take Grace tomorrow and shop for a game to take back to Rachel's. We can even gift wrap it."

"I don't know why I ever accused you of being emotionally stunted. That's a brilliant and generous idea. Someday soon, I want to hear more about 'Operation Danno'. How about some TV for now? You pick the channel. All this deep thinking is giving me a headache." Danno offered Steve the remote.

Steve found a rerun of 'CSI: NY' and opted for that. Danny perked up and pointed out various landmarks. During commercials, they talked about a repeat visit to New Jersey next summer when Grace was out of school. When they first met, Danny always talked about Jersey with such anger and sorrow. Now his face lit up when he talked about his favorite make-out spot; he promised Steve they could go parking there one night.

October was a busy month for everyone. Rachel called the following weekend to thank Danny and Steve for the game. She added that Stan had taken them out for pizza and to shop for more games. "I suspect you and Steve are trying to help Stan and me get back on track. I appreciate your help and your concern. It seems to be working."

While Danny had Rachel on the phone, he discussed whether Rachel would like some extra time with Grace. Rachel readily agreed and said she would call later with some dates that would work for her. There were teacher conferences that all four parents wanted to attend, and a fall harvest carnival at the school.

One night, a very tired Steve collapsed on the couch. "How do single parents do it all? Grace has four of us, and I'm exhausted sometimes. I used to think I had a full life, but it seems so empty in comparison."

Danny looked worried. "Is it too much? Do you need a break?" Danny's hands were moving quickly.

Steve stilled Danny's hands and kissed them. "Danno, I'm Grace's father. We may not share DNA, but I'm her father in every other sense. I don't want a break from her. You and Grace are my life now. I wasn't complaining. I just can't imagine how single parents manage alone. I've got a chest-full of medals hanging on my dress blues upstairs, but they should be handing them out to people who raise children by themselves."

"I'll have to agree with you Steve. It was hard doing it by myself when I only had Grace for a few days a month. It's a lot easier now that I have a partner helping me with the big decisions and the little ones. Thanks for the help partner." Danny pulled Steve in for a hug. They were too tired to do much more, but this was very nice too.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

_Spoiler Alert: Details from Episode 7, only Danny obviously won't be looking for an apartment or dating Gabby._

It was fortunate that Danny offered to let Grace stay with Rachel for Halloween because they were called in on a case. A young couple was found in an ancient Hawaiian temple, a heiau. Unfortunately, Danny refused to wait for the priest to bless them and ask permission for them to enter. When Danny found a huge rock in the windshield of the Camaro, Chin and Kono could only shake their heads. It wasn't enough that they were accosted by a crazed homeless man in the parking lot. The whole evening went downhill from there.

Steve and Danny had an argument on Tuesday about respecting Hawaiian culture and beliefs. At first, it was limited to his behavior at the heiau and Steve's comparison of the burial ground to a church. Then it expanded to include belief in an after-life or a higher power.

Steve was shocked to discover that Danny believed in neither. Although he did not attend church now, his mother made sure that he and Mary attended weekly with her when they were kids. He had seen a lot over the years and knew that there was a lot he couldn't explain.

Mostly, he hated to think that his mom was just gone. There were times when he was at the Academy and later in BUDS training that he dreamed about his mother. The dreams were so real and usually came during the time just before sleep. They were always walking on the beach near the McGarrett home. Steve would pour out his heart and his mom always comforted him.

Their frequency had decreased as he got older, but he still dreamed about her once or twice a year. She came to him a few weeks ago. Steve remembered telling her all about Danny and Grace. She sighed and told him she never thought she would have a grandchild. She promised to watch over Grace and made him promise to keep Danny safe.

There was one other thing that Steve had never mentioned. Steve believed that some part of his father still remained in their home. For weeks after coming home, Steve would awaken at night to the scent of John McGarrett's after shave. He also heard footsteps pacing the first floor between the living room and the study. That was John's favorite path when he was trying to work out a problem.

At first, Steve would run downstairs in an effort to catch the intruder in the act. He even went so far as to borrow a motion-activated infrared camera to try to catch an image of the intruder. There was a heat signature, but the image was transparent. Steve finally decided that his house was haunted. The pattern was the same as with his mother. The occurrences were more frequent at first; now John visited only once or twice a month.

Even without the visitations from his parents, Steve had a compelling reason to believe in a higher power. For the first time in his life, Steve was spending time with a child. Grace was a miracle to Steve. He saw some of Rachael and a lot of Danny in Grace, and there was also something uniquely Grace in the mix too. Steve wished he had been there in the beginning with Grace. Danny showed him pictures, but it wasn't the same.

Since Grace became part of his life, Steve worried about all the things the parents obsess about: illness, accidents, kidnappers, child molesters…. Some days, he was almost overwhelmed by the fear. And Grace hadn't even started to date or drive. He got through the worst of it by praying, "God, please bless Grace and keep her safe. And please don't let me screw this up."

Steve hated to think that Danny couldn't even find that comfort in his life. He met Danny's parents and knew that they attended church regularly. Danny's sisters still attended church with their families. Steve wondered when Danny had turned away from his faith.

The case was very convoluted. They had a dead man's fingerprint on the dead girl's eyeglass lens. Greg Straithan had been shot in the face by his girlfriend with a shotgun. Steve paired with Lori to interview the girlfriend, Nikki Royce. She was on a psych hold in Okalani Hospital; Steve hoped Lori's profiling skills would help them decide if she had been part of a plot to fake Straithan's death. Steve had to agree with Lori's assessment: Nikki definitely had serious mental health issues. Lori could only say with some certainty that Nikki believed that she had shot her boyfriend.

Chin obtained an exhumation order for Straithan's remains. Steve and Danny were also graveside when the casket was opened against the mortician's protest. Despite the fact that the grave had been undisturbed, the casket was empty. Charlie Fong was able to isolate a severed hand on footage from a camera found at the gravesite. That led to an expanded search of the burial grounds for the rest of Straithan's body.

Dr. Asano was there on the behalf of the Burial Council to make sure that the remains there were not disturbed any more than necessary. Ground penetrating radar revealed the presence of several more recent bodies, suggesting the work of a serial killer. To make matters worse, another large rock was thrown through the rear window of the Camaro.

Steve and Danny realized that whoever was throwing rocks at Danny's car had never left the site. They went on the hunt for the homeless man who ranted at them the first night. They found his campsite and then they found him. His name was Samuel Lee; he was a combat veteran from Vietnam. He was also not their killer.

The victims recovered from the heiau had died from various causes over the last few years. They also had one thing in common: they had ligaments and tendons missing from major joints. In Max's opinion, someone had harvested body parts from the bodies after death but before burial. The bodies that were identified had been buried at the same cemetery by the same mortician, Tyler Mitchell.

They found Mitchell's body at the mortuary; he had been embalmed alive. Lori was attacked during her search of the lower level of the mortuary. Steve found her unconscious, although she was alert and back on her feet shortly. Steve always hated when part of his team was hurt. Lori assured Steve that she was okay, and she was gratified to Steve so worried about her.

Steve had as much as told her at his homecoming party that she was a part of the 5-0 family now. The teasing she took Halloween night as Steve and Danny speculated about her possible costume was indicative of that. Steve warned her that they would get into her personal life. Now Lori was warmed by Steve's obvious concern.

The other common element to the victims was a charge nurse at the hospital where they had all been taken. Danny and Steve found their suspect, Jacob Garrison, at the property he had purchased earlier. It was in an isolated area, and the Quonset hut there gave him a place to work. Lori and Chin came in the back entrance; 5-0 had him surrounded. Unfortunately, Garrison chose to ignite the formaldehyde he had stored there rather than going to jail. He almost took the 5-0 team with him. The case was closed, and the team escaped the giant fireball.

It had been a busy week, and Grace was still with Emelina. Danny picked Grace up while Steve stowed their gear at HQ. He tucked Grace in and went downstairs to heat up some soup. Steve came in just as it finished heating. He went upstairs to kiss Grace and wash up.

Steve pulled two Longboards out of the fridge and joined Danny at the table. "You can take your car in tomorrow for repair and pick it up on the way home. I'll drive the truck and pick you up at the shop. Thanks for heating up the soup."

Danny took a sip of beer and nodded. "You're welcome. Thanks for the beer. Do you want to talk about it? Something has been bothering you all week."

Steve sighed and took a spoonful of soup. It was chicken noodle, supposedly good for whatever ails you. "Danny, I believe and you don't. There's really nothing to talk about. I'm not going to try to convince you, and I certainly don't want to argue with you. I'll only say that I've seen and heard things, and I believe in an afterlife."

"That's it? That's what is bothering you?" Danny was surprised. He knew that he had screwed up at the heiau, but this went beyond what he did Halloween night. "So you buy into all that stuff?"

"Yes Danny I do. I'll tell you this. I pray for Grace every day. And I pray that I don't screw this up with you. It does make me feel better. I know that makes me foolish in your eyes. I can live with that." Steve didn't want to make Danny feel bad. He leaned over and kissed Danny.

"Steven, I would never think you foolish. And thank you for not preaching. I get enough of that from Mom." Danny finished his soup and his beer. He sat with Steve until he finished his meal, although they didn't speak again.

When Steve finished, he collected the dirty dishes and stowed them in the dishwasher. It was still half empty but they were running out of spoons. They had been too busy to cook a full meal. Steve started the dishwasher while Danny wiped up the table and the stove.

They went upstairs, showered, and climbed into bed. Steve fell asleep quickly, but Danny drifted into that state between wakefulness and sleep. He closed his eyes and felt the warm sun on his face. He was walking on the beach, but he wasn't irritated about the sand for a change.

He saw a woman coming toward him. She smiled when she saw him. "Danny, I've wanted to meet you for a while now. You've made my Steve so happy. I wanted to thank you for loving him and sharing Grace. I didn't think he would ever love. He saw what his father went through after my death, and I think he was afraid to let that happen to him."

Danny was really confused. "I'm sorry, have we met? You look really familiar, and I'm usually really good with faces."

The woman reached out and took his hand. "Let's walk. I do this with Steve sometimes. He needed me so much when he was younger, but not so much now. It's hard for a mother to accept when her children don't need her anymore. I won't get many more visits, but I had to talk to you. You're wrong, you know. There's something more when we die; there's someone more than us involved."

Danny stopped walking, refused to take another step. "I don't understand. You're Mrs. McGarrett?"

"Danny, you can call me Mom. We're family. You believed when you were younger. What happened?" She started walking again, pulling Danny with her.

Danny wasn't sure what was happening, but she asked nicely and he started talking. "I've seen so much sadness from the victims and their survivors. Sometimes I see their faces in my sleep. Sometimes I see the faces of the people I've killed. I still believed then. But when Rachel left and took Grace, I guess I just lost it. I was only doing my job, and Rachel couldn't handle it. She took my baby away from me, and something inside me broke."

Danny was crying now and the woman held him until he finally stopped. "But you held on and you got her back. Grace is with you again, and my Steve is a second father to her. You're whole again. There was a plan: for you, for Steve, for Grace. And I'm here with you now. You said you only believe what you can see. Well?"

Someone was shaking Danny. "Danno, you've got to wake up. Whatever is wrong, I'll make it right babe. Just don't cry."

When Danny finally woke up, Steve was rocking him in his arms. "Tell me what's wrong Danno. Please talk to me."

"I'm okay. I just had a really weird dream." Danny held onto Steve; he needed his warmth. He had been so warm on the beach. Where did that come from?

"Do you want to talk about it? Sometimes it helps to talk about it." Steve was rubbing his hand up and down Danny's back, trying to sooth him.

"No, I'm good now. For some reason, I feel better. I need to run some water over my face. I'll be right back." Danny was a little shaky on his feet as he walked into the bathroom. He remembered the dream now. Danny glanced down at his feet. He had a few grains of sand still stuck on his feet. He brushed them off and walked back into the bedroom. Danny snapped his lamp on and pulled the covers back. There, on his side of the bed, was more sand.

Steve frowned at the sand and asked, "Danno, did you walk in your sleep? You didn't go out while I was in the shower, did you?"

Danny palmed his face and shook his head. "Steven, I think this is a case of don't ask, don't tell. I'm not ready to talk about it yet, but I promise we'll discuss this another day."

"Danno, Daddy Steve, is everything okay? I thought I heard someone crying." Grace stood in the open doorway, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

Steve walked over and picked Grace up. "Everything is okay. Danno just had a bad dream. I'll tuck you back in bed."

Danny stopped Steve before he could reach the door. "Steve, wait. Would it be okay if Grace stayed with us tonight? I think I need her close tonight, you and Grace."

"Sure Danno, whatever you need. Are you finished in the bathroom?" Steve was really getting worried about Danny. He seemed calmer now, but where did that sand come from?

"Yeah, let me turn the light out." Danno turned the bathroom light and then his lamp off. He crawled into bed where his precious daughter and his lover waited for him. He pulled them close and closed his eyes. He didn't think he would be able to sleep but he did. The next thing Danny knew, Steve was getting up for his morning swim.

_I'm a great fan of 'Ghosthunters' and have gone on a couple of haunted tours. I couldn't resist expanding on the cargument in Episode 7._


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

Steve and Danny spent the weekend cleaning the upstairs; Danny parents would be coming for Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks. They washed the windows and vacuumed under beds. Steve plugged in the new bedside lamp for their guestroom; he remembered that Mom always read a couple of chapters from her book of the week before going to sleep.

Danny was folding the new bath towels and wash cloths. Steve, the big goof, had gone all out preparing for company. "Steve, what do you want to do with the old towels? Some of them still look pretty new."

"The newer towels go in the laundry room downstairs. We can use them for the beach. The older towels go in the garage over the work bench. I can use them for cleanup." Steve came out to the hall and saw that Danny was reaching to put some towels on one of the upper shelves. "Here, let me give you a hand."

"Thanks, Steve. I swear, I'm going to be tall in my next life." Danny slipped the last set of towels on the shelf. "What's in the big box on the top shelf, if you don't mind me asking?"

"You know, I've never looked. It was up there when I got home." Steve stretched up to grasp the box; it was a large rectangular box, almost three feet deep. He carried the box into their bedroom and set it on the bed. When he pulled the top up, he was surprised to see a large patchwork quilt and a sealed envelope. Steve recognized his dad's handwriting on the envelope: To Steve.

Steve's hands were shaking when he pulled out the sheet of paper and read:

Dear Steve,

I wanted you to have something special from your mother. She was a talented seamstress and made a lot of her clothes. She also made clothes for you and Mary when you were younger. After her death, I found a lot of leftover material in our closet. I sent them to your Aunt Evelyn. Evelyn made this quilt for you and a similar one for Mary.

Mary already has her quilt, but there was never a time when you were in one place long enough to take yours. You might recognize some of the material from your mother's dresses or your old clothes. I hope that when you use this, you can feel your mother's love surrounding you. She loved you and Mary very much.

Love,

Dad

Steve handed the letter over to Danny and carefully lifted the quilt out of the box. He unfolded it until the quilt covered most of the bed. "Danny, I remember some of these pieces. I had a pair of pajamas made out of this when I was eight. Mary had an Easter dress from this material."

Danny ran his hand over one intricate pattern and stopped on a swatch of blue fabric with pretty pink flowers. It was familiar to him; maybe it was in a picture Danny had seen. "What is this from? I've seen it somewhere, maybe in a picture?"

"No Danny, you couldn't have seen it in a picture. My mother had just made a sundress for herself out of that material. She only got to wear it once the weekend before she was killed. I remember that we took a walk on the beach that afternoon, just the two of us. That was how she got me to talk whenever something was bothering me." Steve regarded the quilt with a reverence due a beloved family heirloom.

"Sometimes, I dream about her. She's wearing the sundress and we walk on the beach. She got me through some really bad times. I still miss her so much." Steve looked over to see Danny's hand shaking. "What's wrong babe?"

"You remember the night when I had the weird dream, the night we found sand in our bed? In my dream, I was walking on the beach with a pretty woman in a blue sundress with pink flowers. She told me to call her Mom and thanked me for loving you. She asked me when I lost my faith. She comforted me when I cried, and then she was gone and you were holding me." When Danny closed his eyes, he could still remember the feel of her arms around him.

"She smelled like lavender. Her hair was dark like yours; you have her eyes. I wasn't dreaming, was I?" Danny sank to the floor and his head rested on his knees.

Steve sat on the floor next to Danny and pulled him close. "I don't think so. Mom has visited me for years. Dad too; I still hear him walking around downstairs sometimes. That's why I believe in an afterlife."

Danny leaned into Steve and sighed. "I've been such an idiot. I thought that I had let go of all the anger and the hurt. When I lost Grace, I lost my faith too. Your mom pointed out that I was whole again. I have Grace back in my life, and I have you in my life. I'm really happy. I guess a part of me is afraid that it won't last. It didn't last with Rachel."

Steve hugged Danny tightly. "Danny, am I in any way like your ex-wife? And remember that I know probably a hundred ways to kill a man with my bare hands?"

Danny knew that Steve was trying to lighten the mood. "No Steven, you are nothing like my ex-wife. I've told you before that it's never been like this before for me. Rachel put up with a lot, including my job. You accept everything, and we share the job."

"I think we're finished here for the day. Do you want to do something fun? We could hit the batting cages. I believe that I provided a fair amount of entertainment the last time we went there." Steve was great at football, fair at basketball in a no-holds barred game, and pitiful at baseball. He could pitch and catch, but batting eluded him.

"See, that's what I mean. I appreciate the offer, but I'm okay. I just feel a little foolish. I recorded the Navy-Troy game for you. Do you want to grab a beer and watch the game?" Danny knew what Steve liked too.

"That sounds like a plan. When it's over, we can go to that place on the North Shore that makes the burgers you like so much. Do you want to see if the others can join us?"

Danny needed to apologize to Chin and Kono for trampling the heiau. "Yeah, I'll make the calls while you grab the beer. Do we have any chips and dip?" Danny accepted Steve's offer of a hand up and made his calls. Chin didn't have any plans because Malia was scheduled to work. Kono had a date with Charlie for Sunday but was free tonight. Lori planned to give herself a manicure and pedicure. Max had no plans at all for the weekend. They all jumped at the chance hang out together, especially when Danny made it clear that it was his treat.

"Well, we have a date with Chin, Kono, Lori, and Max. What kind of dip is that? Are those the good tortilla chips?" Danny was feeling better already. He would spend the afternoon giving Steve a hard time about the football game. Later they would meet the gang for the best burgers and onion rings on the island.

Their Saturday night out was a lot of fun, and exactly what they needed. Danny made it a point to talk to Chin and Kono before the others came. He apologized for being such a jerk on Halloween. They accepted his apology and put the incident behind them. The burgers were medium, just the way that Danny liked them. The onion rings gave him heartburn, but it was worth it.

Steve drove home that evening. Danny had enough beer to be pleasantly buzzed, but Steve had switched to a soft drink after the burgers were served. Danny was singing along with a Bon Jovi oldie on the radio. Ordinarily, Steve would have changed the channel over Danny's protest, but Steve didn't want to disrupt Danny's good mood. Danny was still smiling when Steve tucked him in bed.

Steve let Danny sleep in on Sunday while he went for his workout. Danny was still sacked out when Steve came in for his shower. Apparently, the sound of running water woke Danny; he joined Steve in the shower a few minutes later. One thing led to another; the water was cooling by the time they turned the shower off. Danny had discovered the perfect cure for his hangover: morning sex.

"Is that coffee I smell? How long have you been up babe?" Danny was in a very mellow mood this morning. Maybe it was the apologies to Chin and Kono; maybe it was letting go of the last of the bad feelings he had held onto since his breakup with Rachel. "What would you like for breakfast? I'm cooking."

Steve thought for a minute and asked, "Do you know how to make French toast like your mom? She made it just like my mom used to."

"I can make French Toast. It's pretty simple. Do you want bacon or sausage with it?" Danny was feeling pretty hungry too.

"Sausage sounds good. I'll even make it while you mix up the French toast. Can we eat on the lanai?" It was another beautiful day in Hawaii, and Steve didn't want to spend the day indoors.

"Sure. We can fix up our plates in the kitchen and eat outside. Any ideas for the day?"

Steve hesitated briefly and ventured a suggestion. "Mom and Dad will be here in a couple of weeks. I thought maybe we should work out some basic decisions for our ceremony before they get here."

That made Danny smile. "I think that's a great idea. I remember the insanity of my wedding to Rachel. I know we want something a lot simpler, but there are some basic decisions to make."

Steve and Danny worked quickly in the kitchen and enjoyed their breakfast outside. Steve pointed to a spot at the edge of the lawn. "We should say our vows there. Our guests will be facing the water, and we'll face each other."

Danny nodded and asked, "What should we wear? Are you going to wear your uniform?"

Steve shook his head. "I don't want to wear my uniform. That would be more formal than I want. How about Hawaiian casual? We can wear dress slacks, button-down shirts, and leis. All the guests will have leis."

Danny considered the idea. "That doesn't sound too bad. Who should we get to do the ceremony? And I guess more importantly, will we be able to get the license for a New Year's Day ceremony?"

"One of Chin's cousins works in the office that issues the licenses. I talked to the governor; he's agreed that we can have the cousin issue the license here at the stroke of midnight for the wedding. I think he did that so he didn't have to buy us a toaster."

Danny laughed and looked at Steve. "You've already given this a lot of thought, haven't you?"

"This is really important to me Danny. I'm only going to do this once. We have options on who will officiate. We can go with a judge or justice of the peace. We can go with a non-denominational minister or Hawaiian priest. Why don't you choose? I want you to be comfortable with the decision."

Danny thought about it carefully. "I'd rather not go with a judge or JP. I'd rather have something a little more spiritual than that."

Steve reached over the hold Danny's hand. "That's quite a turnaround for you. I'm glad to hear it. I don't think a lifetime is going to be enough time with you. I'm hoping for eternity."

Danny couldn't breathe. No one had ever said anything so perfect to him. "Me too babe. What kind of ceremony would the Hawaiian priest do?"

"It's been a while since I've attended a traditional ceremony. It's like a regular ceremony in some ways; you can pick and chose what you like. There can be an exchange of leis. We will have to change it up anyway since there are two grooms and no bride. And I want to include Grace. She should be part of our vows because we are just as committed to her as we are to each other." Steve paused, giving Danny the opportunity to respond.

"I like including Grace in the vows. She'll love the idea too. Do you want to write your own vows? I think I'd like to. You've listened to enough of my rants. I want to say how I feel for our ceremony." Danny had given some thought to the ceremony too. He wasn't sure if Steve would be comfortable making up his vows though.

"Yeah, I want to write my vows. I want to say certain things, and the easiest way to do that is to write them myself. And I'm not ashamed to say how I feel. Our family and friends will be there. I think they already have a good idea how I feel about you anyway." Steve leaned over to kiss Danny. He was really getting excited about their ceremony. It was a big step for them, and he couldn't wait to take it.

"Grace will be going back to Rachel's a couple of days after the ceremony. Can we get some time off and go away, just the two of us?" Despite his insistence that he would never marry again, Danny was also looking forward to the ceremony.

"Why Danno, do you want to go on a honeymoon?"

"Let's see, if by honeymoon, you mean we escape from everything and have lots of sex, then of course I want a honeymoon. Guy here, remember?"

"Well, guy here too. Where do you want to go, Danno?" Steve was curious about Danny's idea of a perfect honeymoon. Would he want a cruise, or God forbid, someplace traditional like Niagara Falls?

"I don't want to spend a lot of time on a plane, which means we stay somewhere in Hawaii. Do you think we can get the cabin from Mr. Page for the week? It's quiet there, and we always have a great time there. We've never been without Grace, but I bet we could make some pretty good memories with just us there." Danny really didn't care where they went. He just wanted to make sure that 5-0 didn't interfere with their time off, and he wanted to be with Steve.

"I think Mr. Page would be happy to rent us the cabin, and I think that's a fantastic idea. I only have one other question. Will you take my name, or do I take your name, or do we keep our own names?" This was an important decision. It would determine how they presented themselves to the rest of the world. Steve already knew what he wanted, but he didn't want to pressure Danny.

"I think we should keep our own names professionally. We've made a firm commitment that whatever happens here is separate from work. But I want us to keep our names in our private lives too."

"So I would stay Steven McGarrett and you'd stay Daniel Williams." Steve was a little disappointed but he would go with Danny's decision.

"No, we will be Steven and Daniel McGarrett-Williams. I had a hard time deciding whose name should go first and figured alphabetical would be okay."

"I like it. I like it a lot. We'll be the McGarrett-Williams family. Do you want to register for gifts at Macy's?" Steve was in a really good mood now. Danny wanted his name, and he wanted Danny's name. It was perfect.

_The quilter in this story is my mother. She made most of our clothes when my sisters and I were younger, and some of our quilts included fabric from our dresses and pajamas. She's 81 years old now and still makes the most beautiful quilts._


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

_Spoiler Alert: Contains details from Episode 8, Lapa'au, but Danny doesn't have his own apartment and he doesn't give the dog to Grace._

The good mood lasted until their next case. Monica Jennsen, a young DEA agent, died in a plane crash. At least that was the first indication. Max estimated the time of death at eight hours ago, but the Cessna had a maximum flight time of four hours. Jennsen had been murdered. Lori worked with Jennsen's boss, Jeff Morrison, previously on a federal task force. Morrison was pleased to see the 5-0 task force on the case; Lori spoke highly of their dedication.

Lori met Morrison at Jennsen's office to retrieve her red book, a report of Jennsen's activities on the job. The red book wasn't there; Lori met Steve and Danny at Jennsen's home to search for the book. They were almost attached by Jennsen's dog; only Danny's quick response and his affection for dogs prevented it. Danny found evidence of a break-in in the kitchen; someone had also tried to drug the dog.

Lori found the red book in a desk; however, several pages had been torn out. Lori knew that it was against procedure to remove pages. The book was the target of the break-in. Steve found a digital camera with surveillance photos; one man appeared in several shots. Danny insisted that they bring the dog with them to prevent the dog from further scene contamination.

Steve accepted that explanation until Danny let the dog in the passenger seat and then sat in the driver's seat. Steve was forced to fold his long legs into the back seat while the dog rode shotgun. Danny insisted that dogs get carsick unless they ride by the window. Steve was surprised that Danny knew so much about dogs all of a sudden. Danny revealed that he always had dogs; his last dog went to Rachel in the divorce and died in quarantine in Hawaii.

Steve let it pass for now. He knew that divorce was devastating, and he knew that Rachel had deliberately screwed Danny over every way possible. Steve didn't know why it surprised him that Danny had lost something else so precious. He had to admit that they made a comical sight: Danny driving with the dog in front and Steve jammed in the back.

Kono was able to identify the man in the photos, Liam Miller. Steve received a call that the black box from the plane had been retrieved. When Steve and Danny left to pick up the box, Danny insisted they bring the dog. Danny said he would take the dog to the animal shelter as soon as he had time. Steve knew Danny would hang onto the dog as long as possible. They both knew that they couldn't keep the dog. They worked too many long days; it wouldn't be fair to the dog.

Chin and Kono interviewed Miller. He was a cancer patient and a medical marijuana user. The chemo's side effects were brutal, but Miller's tumor was shrinking. Miller told Chin that Jennsen had asked for his assistance in investigating a smoke shop, Pipe Dreams. On the way back to the car, Chin took a personal call. Kono guessed that the caller was Malia, Chin's former fiancé.

Kono had been unhappy when Chin started seeing Malia after he was cleared of stealing the money from the asset forfeiture locker. But Malia tried to intervene with Kono during her IAD investigation. Kono knew that Malia loved Chin and decided to accept the relationship for Chin's sake. He looked a lot happier these days. Out in the car, they joked about second hand smoke and Chin's sudden appetite.

Meanwhile, Lori and Morrison visited Max at the morgue. He had identified the cause of death: the poison from a puffer fish. The poison wasn't readily available, which added another puzzle to solve.

Kono went to the smoke shop and busted the guy behind the counter. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. Their suspect, Brody Campbell, lawyered up but denied seeing the DEA agent. Chin confiscated the film from the security camera.

While Kono checked the footage, Lori and Morrison came in. They had a print from the red book; their perp was Jason Akita. Chin recognized Akita's picture from the security footage. He was a two-time offender, enough motive to kill the agent. Steve and Danny also came in with the black box (which was really red) from the Cessna.

Steve, Danny, and Lori chased Akita down, literally. Akita dropped his bag as Lori and Danny chased him down an alley, but it was Steve who tackled him by the street. Lori found drugs in the bag, and Akita was hauled in for questioning.

Akita claimed to be an informant, and that he only tore out the pages with his name on them. Akita burned the pages but Kono found the remnants. Kono took them to Charlie Fong to see if he could pull any useful data off.

Lori and Morrison were attempting to analyze the evidence from the flight data recorder. Unfortunately, the dog was vocally protesting Danny's absence. There was good news and bad news. The good news was that Lori was able to identify the flight path and the approximate location where the killer jumped out of the plane. The bad news was that the dog left a mess in Steve's office. Danny took the dog out for a walk, but it was too late.

Lori and Chin rode ATV's to the forest and found the jumper's chute. Fong in the lab was able to pull an address off Kono's charred remains. Steve, Danny, and Kono with Morrison and HPD as backup raided the warehouse. The front area was filled with employees making leis; the hideout in the back was filled with illegal and endangered birds and animals.

Steve and Danny head to Kamekona's shrimp truck to ask who might be behind a poaching ring, bringing the dog along. Steve didn't want to clean his office again. Kamekona had no idea who might be bringing animals in, but points them to Chinatown when Max identifies pills found at the raid as shark cartilage.

From all appearances, Dr. Yang had been abducted from his medicine shop. Chin had identified tire prints from the forest where he and Lori found the parachute. The tire belonged to a vintage motorcycle, and one was owned by Liam Miller. Miller was also a jumper and a pilot.

Steve, Danny, and Morrison went to arrest Miller. He came in while they were searching his house. Miller thought Dr. Yang could cure his pancreatic cancer. He killed Jennsen to protect Yang, and he kidnapped Yang when we discovered that his cancer was progressing. Dr. Yang was a fake. Miller led Steve, Danny, and Morrison to Yang's location before he died from the chemo drip that Miller had set up.

It had been a very long day, but the case was solved. Grace was with Rachel this week, so Steve and Danny didn't need to worry about getting home. They took Miller in and booked him for one count of murder for Jennsen's death and multiple charges for his crimes against Dr. Yang.

"Danny, the mutt is still here. When are you going to take him to the animal shelter? I swear, you're cleaning up any more special presents." Steve hated to push Danny on the point, but what choice did he have?

"Steven, when have I had a chance to go to the shelter? We've been chasing down leads and suspects all day. We had the raid at the lei factory, and the trip to the shrimp wagon. I checked out the animal shelter schedule on their website. It's too late to take him to the shelter tonight." Danny had become attached to the dog over the course of the day.

"What, you want to take the dog home? I have hardwood floors in the house Danny. Do you know what a dog could do to the floors? Besides, you're just delaying the inevitable. We can't keep the dog, Danny. I don't have a place to keep the dog outside. Besides, he was an inside dog at Jennsens's. We would be charged with animal neglect, and rightfully so." Steve had kind of enjoyed watching Danny with the dog, but he had no options.

"I know. I just hate to take him to the shelter. He's not a puppy, and the chances are that the shelter will have to put him down. He's lost his master. I just hate to do that to him." Danny was defeated; he knew Steve was right.

"I tell you what. Why don't you make a few phone calls and see if you can find anyone to take him. We'll take him home tonight, but you're responsible for making sure he takes his business outside." Steve at least wanted to give the dog a chance.

"That's fair enough Steve. Are we ready to go home?" Danny was tired and knew that he would have to do some smooth talking to find a home for his canine friend.

"Yeah, do you want to pick up some supper on the way home? I guess we'll have to get carryout." Steve was willing to make a concession for the dog tonight. Steve drove while Danny made some phone calls. The first was to Grace, to say goodnight. She was excited when she heard the dog in the background. Under other circumstances, he would have given the dog to Grace. Then he would have been Rachel and Stan's problem. With their new détente, Danny knew that wouldn't be playing fair.

"I wish we could have a dog, Danno. Ali had a dog, but he was old and died. She still has his dog bed and everything. Ali wants to get a new dog, but Emelina isn't ready to train a puppy." That gave Danny an idea. He finished his call with Grace and dashed into the restaurant to get their take-out order.

Steve had ordered burgers, including a couple of extra patties with nothing on them. The burgers were still warm when Danny broke the patties up for the dog. He found a plastic plate for the food and an old pan for water. Danny knew whatever he used would be in the trash in the morning. He snapped a couple of pictures of the dog and made a call.

A few minutes later, Danny was whistling when he came in with his burger and a beer. He sat on the couch next to Steve and planted a big kiss on Steve's mouth.

"What was that for, not that I'm complaining? Any luck on Fido?" Steve was relieved to see Danny in a good mood. He put his burger down, and pulled down Danny in for another kiss. He was tempted to go further, but he hadn't eaten all day. Danny would wait, but the burger wouldn't.

"Hmm, thanks for the kiss. I'm just a genius some days. I need to drive in separately tomorrow; I have an errand to run in the morning." They watched the news and finished their meal. Danny walked the dog and made a place for him in the garage with an old beach blanket. Danny knew that he would have to replace the blanket, but it would be worth it. "Stay here boy. Maybe tomorrow I can find a new home for you."

Steve put their plates up and put the bottles away. He needed to take the empties back for refund. Maybe he would do that this weekend. He was upstairs stripping down for a shower when Danny came up. "Is the dog down for the night?"

Danny had pulled off his shoes and was working on his shirt. "Yeah, he's in the garage. I made sure that there wasn't anything he could get into. He's got water, and I put some paper down. That's what Jennsen did. I'll walk him first thing in the morning. I know we can't keep him, but I really miss having a dog."

Steve pulled Danny into a hug. "I know babe, but it's just not possible now. Maybe when Grace is older, we could consider it. Right now, it wouldn't be fair to any of us. Can I make it up to you?" Steve unbuckled Danny's belt and pulled it out of the loops with one long motion. He unbuttoned the pants and pulled down the zipper. Then he hooked his thumbs on Danny's pants and took them down along with his boxers.

Steve leaned down to plant a string of kisses from Danny's jaw down to his shoulder. His hands were everywhere, down Danny's back and on his ass. Danny had a great ass. Steve walked him backwards to the bed and pushed him down.

Danny was in the mood now. It had been the last thing on his mind when he came upstairs, but Steve could always put him in the mood. Danny had initiated most of the sex in his marriage, and wasn't always successful in convincing Rachel to go along. Steve never turned him down, not even once. If anything, Steve was always in the mood. They didn't make love every day, but they did spend time cuddling in bed or on the couch every day.

"I think you could probably come up with something to take my mind off things. What did you have in mind?" Danny flipped Steve on his back and straddled his hips. He started his own assault on Steve's neck and chest. He wanted to touch and he wanted to taste.

"Hey, I can't show you if you're hogging the action." Steve wrestled for control and they rolled around the bed. Steve enjoyed this particular brand of foreplay. It was a physical manifestation of their carguments. They both touched where they wanted and were touched in return.

"Do you know how funny you looked folded in the back seat like that?" Danny had a hard time driving and watching Steve in the back seat at the same time. He wished they had a dash-cam so he could have taped it. Danny was laughing at the memory.

"Hey, I told you that laughing at this point in the process does nothing to improve my performance. It's a good thing that I'm a confident individual." Steve protested as he pinned Danny's wrists on the bed.

"That's okay. The dog got to ride shotgun." Those were Danny's last words for a while. Steve covered Danny's mouth with his own and his hands were busy. Their coupling was hard and fast. It was like that often when the cases hit too close to home. A young agent had been lost today, and all they could do was bring her killer to justice. Monica Jennsen had been on the job about the same time a Kono. The loss had hit Jeff Morrison hard. This was the way that Steve and Danny coped sometimes.

They were breathing hard and curled around each other. Steve loved the way Danny's chest hair felt against his own chest. It provided the perfect amount of friction against his nipples. He was rubbing lazy circles on Danny's hip.

Danny was the first to speak. "I hate days like today, when we're too late to save anyone. In the old days, you would have found something to blow up or someone to dangle over a tall building. Now we get to do this. I like this better."

"I don't know Danno, you need to blow something up first and then we can compare notes. It's the feel of the grenade and that wonderful thrill of pulling the pin. And the big bang at the finish gets me hot every time."

"Yeah, I have to say that you've got the big bang down to a fine art. Let's get cleaned up. I need to get up early and walk the dog." Danny started to get up but Steve held him in place.

"Is that a euphemism for sex Danny?" Steve was nibbling on Danny's ear again.

"No, and stop that. You can stay here; I'm going to use up all the hot water." Danny made another attempt to get up, but Steve wouldn't relinquish his hold.

"I'm not finished yet. I want to play some more." Steve knew he was whining, but Danny looked so happy.

"We'll play again tomorrow, I promise. We don't have Grace until Friday night. Tomorrow, I'll tie you to the bed and everything. There will be whipped cream and hot fudge and everything." Danny knew that Steve was trying to take his mind off the dog that would be gone in the morning.

"Will you put a cherry on top like the last time? That was my favorite part."

"Yes, there will be cherries. Can we get cleaned up now?" Danny was finally allowed to get his shower, and Steve even washed his back.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

_Spoiler Alert: Contains details from Episode 8, Lapa'au, but Danny doesn't have his own apartment and he doesn't give the dog to Grace._

Danny and the dog were gone by the time that Steve finished his morning exercise. Steve hoped that Danny's plan for the dog worked out. He hated to see the dog go to the shelter.

Today was Wednesday; Chin's cousin would be by to work on the lawn. Steve had been doing the yard work since his return to Hawaii, but now he had a family to fill his time. They were so busy during the week that Grace was here; on the other weeks, they put in extra time to clear up cold cases or catch up on paperwork. The housework was enough of a challenge. Even so, he thought about having another of Chin's cousins give the house a thorough cleaning before Mom and Dad Williams came in.

Danny had been busy this morning. He was out of bed as soon as Steve left the house. He walked the dog and cleaned up the papers in the garage. Danny put some disinfectant cleaner in a bucket and added hot water. He poured the mixture on the cement where the papers had been and used an old broom to scrub the area. Then Danny poured some clean hot water on the same spot and swept the water toward the floor drain. The area was otherwise undisturbed by the dog.

Danny quickly got ready for work and grabbed a cup of coffee in a travel mug. The dog was happy to get back in the Camaro. Ten minutes later, Danny pulled up in front of the Hookala's. When Grace mentioned that Ali's dog died, Danny saw a possible solution to everyone's problem. He had an older dog that needed a home; Emelina was open to getting another dog but didn't want a puppy. Danny called Emelina and explained the problem. He sent a couple of pictures so she could see that it wasn't a small dog. Emelina agreed to check the dog over.

Danny put the dog on the leash and walked him to the door. Emelina and Ali were waiting for him. Ali dropped on one knee and called to the dog. Danny unhooked the leash, and the dog ran to Ali. The dog knocked her over and she was laughing. Well, it was looking good so far.

"Emelina, his tag has the vet's number on it with an I.D. number. I didn't get the opportunity to call yesterday and get any details for you. I don't know his name or his age. I'm pretty sure he's had his shots. He's well-behaved and paper trained."

Emelina called the dog over and checked him out. "He looks friendly and seems to like Ali. Your Grace will be spending time with him too. Is that a problem?"

"No, I spent most of yesterday with him. I'd keep him but there's no one home all day to let him out. He'd be too lonely spending so many hours all by himself. Grace would love to have a dog, but Rachel has her hands full with the new baby on the way. This way, Grace would be around a dog at least part of the time."

Emelina took the leash from Danny. "I'm still got a partial bag of dog food from Henry, our old dog. I knew that I would be getting a dog eventually. Let me take him for the day. I'll call the vet and get some information on our friend. Who did you say the owner was?

Danny almost hugged Emelina. "The owner was Monica Jennsen. She was killed early yesterday morning. Her boss told us that she had no family in the area. The dog would have to go in quarantine if we sent him to family on the mainland. I've already lost one dog to quarantine. I would hate for our friend here to go the same way."

"Don't worry Danny. If for some reason he doesn't work out here, I have a couple of ideas where we could place him. I'll call you later today and let you know what I find out and if we'll keep him."

Danny kissed Emelina on the cheek. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. I owe you for this. I'll be waiting for your call."

Danny was so relieved that he stopped for a bag of celebratory malasadas and coffee. He ate them as he drank his second cup of coffee; the coffee wasn't as good as Steve's, but the malasadas more than made up for it. Steve was at the big computer table was Danny walked in.

"What did you do with the dog?" Steve leaned over and brushed some malasadas crumbs off Danny's shirt.

"Emelina took him for now. She's going to check with the vet and get some background. I think she's going to keep him. Ali loved the dog at first sight." Danny shooed Steve's hands away; they were always careful about PDA's (public displays of affection) at 5-0.

Steve stepped up to Danny and stole a quick kiss. "Relax, no one is here yet. I just wanted a taste of the malasadas since you didn't save me any."

"Well, in that case…." Danny returned Steve's kiss, lingering long enough to give Steve a good taste. "We'll continue this at home tonight."

At short time later, Lori and Jeff Morrison walked in. Agent Monica Jennsen had been awarded the Medal of Valor, and Morrison wanted Steve and the team to have it. Steve protested, but Morrison insisted that Monica would have wanted it that way. Steve took down one of his own commendations and hung the certificate proudly in his office.

Emelina called around noon. "Our friend's name is Waldo. Apparently, he liked to hide as a pup. It became a case of 'Where's Waldo'. He's about 18 months old, and a very mixed breed. Monica picked him out from a neighbor's litter. The mother is mixed, and we don't know who the father is. The vet already had a call from the neighbor, wondering if she knew what had happened to Waldo. The other pups from the same litter were given to friends and family. All are good with children, so I don't think we'll have a problem with Ali or Grace."

Danny heaved a sigh of relief. "Emelina, that's great news. So you'll keep Waldo?"

Emelina laughed. "I don't think I have a choice. He's attached himself to me, and has followed me around all day. I guess we have a dog again. Thanks for thinking of me Danny. I've really missed Henry, but I just couldn't bring myself to get a new dog. I guess I was just waiting for Waldo. God works in mysterious ways."

Just a few days ago, Danny would have protested that God had nothing to do with anything. Instead, he remembered Mom McGarrett's words: there was a plan. "I think you're right Emelina. There was a plan for Waldo. I'm relieved that we figured out what it was."

There was a lot of paperwork to catch up on. They had the drug bust at Pipe Dreams, the drug bust on Jason Akita, and the assault/kidnapping of Dr. Yang to report on besides the death of Monica Jennsen. Steve and Danny left only half an hour late. The refrigerator was looking a little bare, so they decided to hit the supermarket on the way home. Steve raised his eyebrows when Danny put two cans of whipped cream, two jars of hot fudge, and two jars of cherries in the cart.

"Are you planning an orgy, Danny?" All of a sudden, Steve couldn't wait to get home.

"Some of this will actually go on ice cream, Steven. Don't be greedy." Danny saw the heat in Steve's gaze and knew that Steve was aroused. "I guess it's a good thing that you're pushing the cart. It's good cover."

"Danny, nobody likes a smart-ass." Steve knew that Danny was deliberately provoking him, just as he knew that they would need to change the sheets before they went to bed.

"Babe, I promise you're going to like what I plan to do." Danny whispered a few suggestions in Steve's ear.

Steve actually blushed, something Danny found totally adorable. "I'm not sure that's even legal here."

"Remember Steven, it's a case of don't ask, don't tell. You weren't planning to wear your badge to bed, were you? I have to say, I have no idea where you would pin it." Danny was in a very naughty mood now; he intended to make the most of the situation. It wasn't often he got the upper hand with Steve.

Unfortunately for Steve, they still had half the store to cover. Every aisle or so, Danny leaned in and whispered another suggestion to Steve. The tips of Steve's ears were beet red. Danny knew he would pay for this later tonight, but it was just too much fun messing with Steve's head.

Danny knew that the only reason that Steve didn't have him up against the wall when they walked in the house was that some of the groceries needed to be refrigerated. Steve patiently waited until all the food was put away. Then he pinned Danny against their new stainless steel refrigerator and whispered a few suggestions of his own. His free hand never stopped moving.

"I'm going upstairs and get comfortable. You have as long as it takes me to do that before I start looking for you. Don't make me come down here." Steve was wearing a cross between Aneurism Face and Scary Face.

Danny worked quickly, heating up the jar of hot fudge in the microwave while he grabbed the can of whipped cream, the jar of cherries, and a couple of spoons. Danny wrapped the jar in a dish towel to keep it warm and climbed the stairs.

Steve had pulled the comforter completely off the bed, folded it, and put it out of the line of fire. The pillows were stacked on top of the comforter. Steve had stripped down and was lounging in the middle of the bed.

Danny put everything on the dresser and walked over to see if Steve was in position. "You must really want this. You're in just the right spot." Danny took a couple of zip ties out and fastened Steve's wrists loosely to the headboard.

"I've been thinking about this all day. You promised me last night, and I know that you always keep your promises. You didn't have to tie me here, but I like it. I trust you Danny." Steve held Danny's gaze for just a few seconds, but it was enough. Steve knew that Danny was just as excited as he was. They had done this once before. The memory got Steve through a couple of rough nights during his deployment.

Danny quickly disposed of his clothes and stirred the hot fudge. It had cooled slightly and was just the right temperature. Danny dipped his finger in the sauce and let Steve taste it. Then he took his taste from Steve. Steve was rock hard, and Danny had barely started.

Danny drizzled the sauce in fanciful patterns over Steve's body. He followed that with the whipped cream and a few cherries. Danny stood back and surveyed his work. He knew that Steve was going crazy. The cream hadn't cooled Steve down; Steve had heated it up.

Danny started his 'clean-up' on the outer perimeter. He loved thinking of this in military terms. This was his own version of 'Operation Steve'. Every time he got within an inch of someplace Steve wanted him, Danny backed off.

"Danny, please. You know what I want. You're driving me crazy." Steve wasn't above begging.

"I know that Steven. That's why I tied your hands. I want to make this last. When we're 90 and we can't remember our own names, I want you to remember what we did tonight." Danny kissed Steve softly and continued his assault. He finally took pity on Steve and moved in where Steve wanted him.

Steve closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensations. Danny nipped and licked his way down Steve's body. Danny knew that Steve wouldn't last much longer. "I'm getting a little full. Maybe we can finish this later."

"Danny, I swear that if you leave me hanging here, I will..." Steve's words trailed off as Danny finally gave took Steve over the edge. Steve was breathing hard as Danny cut the zip ties. Danny went in the bathroom and brought out a warm wash cloth and a towel. He carefully cleaned the sticky residue off Steve and dried him before he could get chilled.

Danny tossed the cloth and towel in the bathroom sink and lay down next to Steve. He pulled Steve close and asked, "Are you still with me babe? You doing okay."

"Danny, I will be with you until the end of time. I love you." Steve kissed Danny softly, then with more heat. "I believe one of us still has a problem. I'd return the favor but I don't think I have the stamina tonight. I think I still have enough strength left for this."

Danny was so close that it didn't take Steve long to give Danny his release. "That's okay. I couldn't wait that long, I was so close. I love your body Steve." Danny was content to stay curled up with Steve until his stomach growled. "I'm starving, and I've already had my dessert."

Steve laughed and agreed. "Now that my other appetite has been satisfied, I'm really hungry. What did we get that's quick?"

"I bought a rotisserie chicken while you were checking out the produce. There's a salad in there too; I put it together at the salad bar. Is that quick enough?"

"That's perfect Danny. I need a shower and we can throw the sheets in before we eat. Want to join me?" Steve rolled out of bed and pulled Danny off the bed. They quickly showered and changed the sheets. Steve carefully loaded the washer while Danny heated dinner. They ate at the table in a companionable silence. Steve threw the clean sheets in the dryer before they headed back upstairs to bed. Tomorrow they would get ready for Grace; for now, they slept.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

_Spoiler Alert: Contains details from Episode 9 Ike Maka, except that Danny isn't sleeping on the couch._

It was a short night for Steve and Danny. HPD chased a stolen car down to the docks and lost it amid stacks of shipping containers. During a search for the car, the officers found a car with a dead body in the truck. The victim had been shot in the chest and was wrapped in layers of gauze.

Lori was already on the scene with Max, who seemed to be upset with Steve and Danny. The fingerprints had been sanded off their victim's hands, making identification of the body difficult. The car was found surrounded by other stolen cars with their VIN numbers removed.

The bullet found in the victim was a 9 mm, and was no match was found in the system. The victim had undergone extensive plastic surgery, including several implants. The implants led the team back to the plastic surgeon, Dr. Thomas James. Max was still upset with the men, leading to a discussion of who might have pissed Max off. The victim gave the doctor a false name and address; he had also paid cash for his surgery. The guys were at a dead end.

The car the victim was found in was the only car on that part of the dock that was not stolen. Chin and Kono paid Kamekona to get a lead on who might be behind the stolen car ring. Lori went undercover as a hot chick with a hot car to lure their car thief out. The ruse worked as Lori was carjacked when Lori took their target for a test drive. Chin and Kono caught the carjackers with the booby-trapped car.

The thief insisted that he found the car on the street, keys still inside. He had no idea there was a dead body in the trunk. There was a bag in the passenger seat, and the key card inside led to a motel. The time of death was prior to the car theft, so their suspect was not the killer.

The man who rented the hotel gave his name as Adam Raines. Danny and Steve found Raines' girlfriend, Suzie Greene, in the room. She verified that Adam had plastic surgery recently and identified the victim. Adam had been working on a cable ship; he had called Suzie from the ship, saying his past had caught up with him.

Steve and Danny paid a visit to the cable ship and discovered that Adam's roommate, Billy Murphy, was on shore leave at the same time as Raines. Lori determined that Adam Raines was not the victim's real name; his name was Jimmy Sheehan, and he was in the Witness Protection Program. Sheehan had witnessed a murder back in Boston committed by Mickey O'Hara, a member of the Irish mob. The other two witnesses to the same crime had been killed, and Sheehan went on the lam.

Billy Murphy became a suspect. Murphy tried to force the pilot to take him off the ship, but Steve got the drop on him. Playing good cop and bad cop, Danny convinced Murphy to come clean. Murphy admitted that he called the mob back in Botson in order to clear a debt. Two brothers, John and Simon O'Toole, had been sent from Boston to kill Sheehan. They were the top two triggermen for the mob.

Lori traced their cell phones to Sheehan's motel; the killers were interrogating Suzie Green. Steve and Danny stormed the hotel room and dropped one of the brothers; Kono took out the brother who was holding Suzie as a hostage with a sniper rifle. The O'Toole's were asking about Sheehan's location, which meant that they were not the killers.

John O'Toole, the surviving killer, was confident that any charges wouldn't stick. Witnesses seldom survived to testify against him. O'Toole said they had trailed Sheehan and lost him at a parking garage. He didn't kill Sheehan, but ballistics reported that his gun was tied to several other homicides. O'Toole was going to jail.

Chin had surveillance photos of the parking garage where O'Toole had lost Sheehan. Chin checked to see who had swiped their card to enter or exit the garage, and discovered that the plastic surgeon, Dr. James, had exited the garage twice. Apparently, Sheehan had died during surgery and James was trying to cover up the death.

At least the guys solved another mystery. That evening, they spied Lori heading out of HQ dressed as 'Sandy' from the movie 'Grease'. She was on her way to theme movie night at Max's house, an event they had all been invited to. Danny and Steve thought the e-mail was spam and had ignored it. They were equally surprised to see Max stroll in dressed as 'Danny Zuko'. He ignored them as he escorted his 'Sandy' out of HQ. It had been a very strange day.

It was after 8 p.m. when Steve and Danny finally made it home. "Danny, it's been a really busy week. I called Chin's cousin, Jen, to take care of the housework and the rest of the laundry for us tomorrow. Grace's science project is due on Monday, and I promised her that we could work on it Saturday. At least we got the shopping done last night."

"Yeah, it's a lot to take care of when we're this busy. Should we have Jen come back before Mom and Dad come in? Grace is here this weekend, but she'll be with Rachel and Stan during the week. It's their last week before their trip, and they wanted more time with Grace. They seem to be doing well these days. Grace reports that they have a game night at least once or twice a week."

"That's good news, isn't it? Your face doesn't look happy about it. What's wrong?" Steve always hated to see Danny with his 'my ex-wife is screwing me over again' face. He really thought that Rachel couldn't hurt Danny anymore.

"Grace and I talked a little today. She's thinking about calling Stan 'Daddy'. I know that I told Rachel that I would be okay with it, but it still throws me." Danny looked a little defeated.

"Danny, I can understand how you feel. Do you think that Grace will ever love Stan as much as she loves you?"

Danny shook his head. "I know that I'll always be her best dad. I just don't know that Stan has earned it."

Steve thought about it and offered another idea. "Maybe she's trying to show her appreciation for how hard he's trying to make everything right. Stan only knows how to be a step-dad. With our help, he's moving toward something more. This might help him make it all the way to full fatherhood."

Danny considered Steve's words. He knew it was a knee-jerk reaction, but he still had a hard time with it.

Steve tried again. "Look, you'll always be Daddy #1. I know I'll never be more than Daddy #2 no matter how hard I try. I'm okay with that; it's enough that I'm Daddy at all. Stan will always come in third place in the daddy race. I'm new to this, and I was promoted over him. And eventually, Grace is going to have a new brother or sister. When that child is old enough, Stan will be Daddy, and Grace will be the 'almost' child. She'll be the step-child, the half sister. Do you really want that for her?"

Steve was holding Danny now, trying to comfort him. Danny finally spoke. "No, I don't want that for my Grace. When did you get to be 'Dr. Phil'? That's quite an insight."

"Sometimes I can't sleep at night thinking about Grace. She's had a tough time. There was the divorce, Rachel's second marriage, the relocation, the reconciliation that didn't take, and now a baby. She's accepted the fact that her father is living with another man, something that would have been a major issue for other kids. And she's such a happy little girl. There will be things that happen that we can't fix or make any easier. She shouldn't have to pick who she loves." Steve was relieved to feel the tension leave Danny's shoulders.

"You're right. I should call her and tell her. She could tell that I was upset. I don't want her to be in the middle, trying to please me and do the right thing." Danny took his cell phone out and made the call. He wandered in to the living room and sat on the couch.

Steve pulled out the leftover chicken while he heated some rice. By the time that Danny was wrapping up his conversation, Steve had a nice teriyaki stir-fry finished. Danny offered the phone to Steve. "She wants to say goodnight."

Steve and Grace spoke briefly, and ended the conversation with 'I love you' from both sides. When Steve turned, he saw that Danny had fixed their plates and put out a couple of beers. "She sounded happy. Did you tell her?"

"Yeah, I could tell that she was relieved. She's got this innate sense of fairness. I don't want to screw that up. I don't want to screw up anything with her. I know that I'm too late for that, but at least I can get this much right." Danny thought that he would have no appetite, but found that he was indeed hungry. "It means a lot that you can help me work through some of this. Without you, I would have started World War Three with Rachel. Of course, without you, I wouldn't have joint custody."

Steve shook his head. "I don't agree. You would have worked it out for Grace. And you help me too. I almost always call for backup now."

Danny rolled his eyes. "It's not the same thing, but thanks. This is good. Thanks for cooking."

Over in the Edward's home, Stan and Rachel were tucking Grace in for the night. Until recently, Stan always said his 'good night' from downstairs before Grace came up to bed. Stan had changed a lot of his behavior. He watched Rachel and Danny put their bitterness behind them and work as a team for Grace's sake. He watched the Navy SEAL pour his devotion on Grace and her father. Stan knew that he had to change if he wanted to keep up. It was very odd to admit it, but he wanted with Rachel what Steve had found with Danny. He wanted what Steve had become to Grace.

Grace was a very attentive child and she noticed the little things that Stan did now. There was the big thing with family game night. One night when Rachel wasn't feeling well, Stan read her a bedtime story. He sometimes took her to school, and one night he even brushed her hair out. Grace could tell that he was really trying to be a good daddy, and she wanted to tell him he was doing a good job. She just didn't want to upset Danno.

Grace was so relieved when Danno called tonight. She suspected that Daddy Steve had talked Danno about their conversation. She knew her dads pretty well. Danno was excitable and quick to overreact. Daddy Steve tried to look at things from different angles (unless someone was going to hurt his family). She was so proud of Danno for letting her do this. It was a big thing for him to let Stan into their inner circle of family (as she thought of her mom, Danno, and Daddy Steve). It would be a little strange for her to say these words to Stan, but she knew he deserved it.

Stan pulled the covers up and leaned down to give Grace a goodnight kiss and hug. "Good night Grace. I love you." He used to say it out of habit. He really meant it now.

Grace took a deep breath and went for it. "Good night Daddy. I love you too." She gave Stan a tight hug and kiss.

Stan pulled away, tears in his eyes. At first, he thought Grace had said 'Danno' by mistake. It took a few seconds for Grace's words to register. Grace looked up at him and said it again. "Good night Daddy." Stan gave Grace a second hug. "Good night Grace, and thank you."

Rachel watched the exchange between her husband and her daughter. She too had tears in her eyes. Rachel knew that Grace had spent some time on the phone tonight with Danny. Since Danny spent so much time with Grace, their daily phone calls had decreased in frequency and duration. She thought that maybe they were discussing plans for the weekend, but now she thought she knew what the conversation had been about. Rachel knew that Grace would discuss the issue with Danny, and Danny must have given his approval. Rachel also knew that Steve had a hand in it somehow.

Rachel leaned down to kiss Grace good night. "That was a wonderful thing you just did for Stan. I must say that I'm a little surprised, but I'm very proud of you."

Grace shrugged like it wasn't any big deal. "Mommy, he's earned it. I finally feel like he could be my daddy. Danno will always be my first Daddy, but it's okay to have other daddies. I'm lucky to have Daddy Steve and Daddy Stan to love me too."

"Did your father tell you that?"

"Uh-huh, he said that Daddy Steve explained it to him. I guess we're all lucky to have Daddy Steve in the family."

Rachel hugged Grace and agreed. "Yes, we're very lucky with our family. Good night sweetheart."

Rachel found Stan in their bedroom. He was looking out the window at the ocean. He heard Rachel come in. "I never thought that I would hear her say those words to me. Did you tell her to say that?" This was really important to Stan.

"No, it was Grace's idea. I had mentioned it to her once when we were first married, but I dropped it when I saw that it would take Grace a while to accept you."

"Is Danny going to have a problem with it?" Stan knew that was the sixty-four million dollar question.

"No, Grace discussed it with Danny first. She even talked to Danny before she started calling Steve 'Daddy'. I don't think he was thrilled with the idea at first, but it sounds like Steve explained to Danny. I think that Steve is probably the best thing that ever happened to Danny."

Stan walked over to hug Rachel. "Does it hurt to say that?"

Rachel hugged Stan in return, resting her head on his shoulder. "No, it doesn't. I'll always love Danny and want the best for him. I'm relieved that he's found Steve, or should I say that they've found each other. I don't feel guilty any more. My life is with you now. We have Grace some of the time, and we'll have the baby in a few months. It's a pretty good life."

It was a sentiment shared by Steve and Danny. They would need each other and the rest of their 5-0 family in the coming days.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

_Spoiler Alert: Contains details from Episode 10, Ki'ilua._

Steve hoped that the week before Mom and Dad Williams arrived for their visit would be uneventful. It was anything but that for Chin. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and he lured Malia out for a picnic lunch. He had an ulterior motive. In a very smooth move, he unhooked the chain around Malia's neck. On bended knee, he slipped the ring onto Malia's finger. Malia accepted the ring and the kiss. She never stopped loving Chin. The magic ended when Chin got the call.

Steve and Danny were cleaning up the breakfast dishes when they notified about the death by HPD. Bethany Morris, a reporter at the _Pacific Register, _was dead. Steve had a lunch meeting with Jenna Kaye, so Danny responded to the call. Steve and Danny decided to take Grace (and her science project) back to Rachel's. They would be tied up for the rest of the day on the case, and Rachel and Stan would appreciate the extra time with her.

Bethany's neck had been broken; the intruder took her CPU. Max estimated time of death at around midnight, just after she tried to call her editor. Bethany thought she was being followed, and she was killed before she could send her editor a file. Bethany received death threats after an expose on a shipping company caused the stock price to plummet.

Danny and Chin interrogated Sam Schulte, who admitted to making the death threats but denied killing Bethany. He had been following her for a while, and tailed her to Maui where she visited a woman named Jane Woodley. The night of her murder, Schulte saw someone enter Bethany's building and exit fifteen minutes later with something under his arm. Schulte also got a partial plate number on the suspect.

Steve's lunch meeting with Jenna did not go particularly well. Jenna had located her fiancé; he was in being held by a rebel faction in North Korea. She asked Steve to accompany her to the ransom drop. Steve wasn't thrilled with the idea of paying ransom; that had not worked out well with Victor Hesse. He owed Jenna for helping secure his release, and reluctantly agreed to go.

Steve tried to get the SEAL team involved in Anton Hesse's capture as backup, but the team was elsewhere assigned. Danny tried to dissuade Steve from going with Jenna, but he knew that Steve's loyalty left him no other option.

"Danny, remember what I told you the last time. You and Grace will be provided for in case something happens. This is a potentially more dangerous situation because I won't have my team behind me. I wish I didn't have to go, but you know I have to. Tell Grace that I love her." Steve broke their rule about PDA's at work and hugged Danny tightly. "I love you Danno. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Danny held on to Steve. "I love you too. You'd better come back. You don't want to miss Mom's turkey or pumpkin pie. She'll never forgive you." Reluctantly, they broke the embrace. Steve had a plane to catch.

Chin and Kono checked out the lead on the person Bethany visited on Maui. Jane Woodley was gone, but the manager had a copy of her driver's license. Jane Woodley was Jenna Kaye. Jenna was supposed to be in D.C. for the last three months; she had lied to them.

Steve and Jenna arrived in Korea and were on their way to the ransom drop. Steve reiterated that Jenna should not turn over any money until she could positively ID her fiancé, Josh. The rebels took a hooded man out of their truck and threatened to shoot him. Steve realized that the 'hostage' could not be Josh; he was too fit and tanned. Steve opened fire on the rebels and either killed or chased them away; then, he heard Jenna cock her gun.

"I'm sorry", was all she could stay. Steve was attacked from behind and dropped to the ground. Wo Fat stood over him. Steve's hands were tied behind him, and a thick noose was around his neck. Wo Fat and his team, including Jenna, led him through the forest to an old bunker. Every few steps, someone would hit him. Steve tried to question Wo Fat about Jenna's part in the plan but received no answer.

Steve's mind was in turmoil. How could Jenna betray him like this? Was she ever on their side? Would Wo Fat finally triumph over him? Would he ever see Danny or Grace again? Would his death traumatize Grace the way his mother's death had Steve?

The remaining 5-0 team tried to contact Steve to warn him about Jenna, but Steve didn't answer. They decided the first priority was to find Bethany's killer. The partial plate led them to Sung Pack; Pack killed himself when he heard the approaching sirens. The team found Bethany's hard drive, but a virus ate away most of the data.

Kono was able to salvage some data from Bethany's computer; there was an article about 'Operation Switchback', a CIA op. Langley claimed no knowledge of the op, but there was evidence that it was a joint op between CIA and military forces.

Danny chased down Joe White, who was building a boar blind with Wade Gutches, the SEAL CO. The men were not in a position to provide any information. Danny explained the situation: Steve was in North Korea with someone they thought they could trust. Danny seemed calm, but he was in panic mode on the inside. He couldn't lose Steve, not now, now ever.

Jenna watched two of Wo Fat's men wrestle Steve into a room; she could hear the beating through the door. She asked to see Josh, now that she had done what was asked. Unfortunately, Josh was dead; he had been dead for a while. Jenna attacked the guard and barricaded the door; she called Danny on the satellite phone and gave her location as best she could. She threw the phone out a window to prevent the men from discovering her phone call, then dug into Josh's flesh to pull a surgical pin out of his knee.

Danny went to the governor for help, but there was nothing that could be done in time to help Steve. Time was running short. Joe couldn't get any help from the government, but he did get some information on 'Operation Switchback'. It was a CIA operation in North Korea that went bad; Joshua Hirsch was captured. Bethany had been asking questions about the op, and claimed she had a source in South Korea who evidence that Hirsch was alive. Jenna was the intel officer for the op, so Bethany went to see Jenna. The un-redacted file gave the location for the bunker; it was a purported cache for Wo Fat. Joe and the team made plans to bring Steve home.

Danny made a detour by Rachel's house. He gave her a brief explanation about his trip. "Rachel, I've got to try to bring Steve home. Wo Fat will kill Steve, or even worse, he might keep him alive indefinitely to torture him. I can't let that happen. If something happens, can you explain it to Grace? I know that you and Stan will take care of our girl."

There was a time not so long ago when Rachel would have ranted at Danny about putting their family first. She couldn't do that anymore. Danny had been so supportive of her reconciliation with Stan. They wouldn't be as far as they were today without Steve and Danny. She knew that they would all be devastated if Steve and Danny didn't make it back. For the first time, Rachel felt like she and Grace would survive if that happened.

Rachel hugged Danny. "I won't need to tell Grace anything. You and your friends will bring Steve home, and you'll have a wonderful holiday with your parents. You've got a wedding to plan. Grace will be your flower girl. You take care; I'll tell Grace that you and Steve are on a case." Rachel said her good bye to Danny and prayed that she would see him in a few days

Joe arranged a plane for their transportation; they were going in under the guise of a humanitarian mission. Joe collected their ID and badges; if they were captured, there would be no rescue. Even if they were successful, they could face various charges when they returned. He also warned them they had no military supplies or backup. No one made a move to leave; they would bring Steve home or die trying.

Unexpectedly, a military vehicle pulled up with Gutches and three of his SEALs. SEAL Team 9 owed a debt to McGarrett and 5-0. Gutches and his men were here to pay their debt. He claimed that they were on R & R en route to Seoul. Danny saw that Lt. Jacks was part of the rescue team. Danny was grateful for their help. He thought that maybe their rescue finally had a chance.

Steve was beaten sporadically through the night. He knew that there would be no SEAL team coming for him. He was on an unsanctioned personal mission. He only hoped that Danny and the team would not attempt a rescue; he couldn't lose him any of them too.

After a while, the guards dragged Jenna in and left her with Steve. Steve had to know why Jenna would betray him. She did it all for Josh. Steve had his answer: she traded Steve for Josh. She told of a reporter who came to her about a possible survivor held prisoner in North Korea; Bethany believed Josh could have survived. Jenna told Steve about Josh's accident, how he had pins in his knee. That was the night that Josh proposed. Steve told Jenna that the reporter, Bethany Morris, was dead. Wo Fat was her source.

Gutches briefed 5-0 and his team. He pinpointed the location of the bunker; they would need a helo to get to their location. Joe's old friend, Frank Bama, came to the rescue with his Vietnam-era helicopter, Tangerine. The team expressed some dismay at the condition of the helo; it was reminiscent of Luke Skywalker's first look at the Millennium Falcon. Kono stayed behind to set up satellite surveillance.

Wo Fat tortured Steve with something resembling a cattle prod. He wanted to know about Shelburn, and asked what Joe knew about it. He was merciless in his beating. Steve realized the Wo Fat didn't know what Shelburn was. Jenna could only watch and weep. Suddenly, a guard came into the room; Jenna's phone call had been discovered.

Jenna knew her time was short. "It wasn't for nothing," she told Steve. Then she slid the pin over to where Steve could hide it with his foot. He watched Wo Fat shoot Jenna twice. Wo Fat told Steve that they would be getting on a plane in one hour, and Steve would take him to Shelburn. Steve was finally alone.

Steve nimbly grasped the pin with his toes and swung his feet up to his hands. Steve was free in seconds. He took down the guards on the way outside the bunker, but Wo Fat and his men were waiting for him. His escape attempt had failed.

Bama landed near the bunker and Gutches, the SEALs, Danny, Chin, and Joe hiked in to find Steve. The bunker was empty except for Jenna's body. Jenna's body was still warm; Steve couldn't be far. Danny took a long look at Jenna; this woman had saved him from the Sarin. There was nothing he could do for her now.

Steve was loaded into the back of a truck. The three-truck convoy headed west toward the river. Kono alerted Lori, who was riding shotgun in the helo. Steve was unconscious as the trucks forded the river toward Kaesong. Lori reported the convoy's position to Joe; he instructed Lori to slow the convoy down.

Frank suggested that Lori use the RPG to take out a bridge. Lori carefully assembled the weapon and took steady aim. The bridge burst into a fireball just ahead of the convoy. Wo Fat had no option but to turn back.

Danny knew that their only opportunity to rescue Steve was imminent. He was relieved that his crisis of faith was over; he prayed, "Please God, let us save Steve and go home in one piece. And Mom and Dad McGarrett, if you're watching, we could use a little help here."

The rescue team waited for Wo Fat and his convoy; they had barricaded the road with a burning jeep. When the trucks stopped, the SEAL threw smoke grenades under the trucks. Danny and the teams opened fire as the guards came out of the trucks. Wo Fat's men went down quickly. The team secured the area and searched for Steve. He was in the last truck, alive. Steve was shocked to see Danny lift the flap of the truck. Then again, he wasn't surprised that Danno had come halfway around the world the find him.

Steve's first thought was for Wo Fat. He tried to tell Danny, but Danny didn't want to hear it. Steve was alive, and they needed to get him out of there. Chin and Joe came around to check on Steve. Wo Fat was getting away again.

Frank landed the helo again as Danny and Chin helped Steve cross the distance. The SEALs and Joe were alert to any danger, but they all boarded the helo without incident. Lori jumped out of the helo to give Steve a welcoming hug. Steve and his team were her family now.

They were going home. Joe gave to order to take off as the SEALs kept watch. Steve hurt in so many places now, but he was going home to Danno and Grace. Joe patted Steve on the back and gave Gutches a hand slap. Steve looked over to Danny; he knew how Danny hated helos, but today Danny was a willing passenger in a helo with no doors.

"Oh don't, you can thank me when we get back to Oahu." Danny knew that Steve would take a while to recover, but Danny would be there every step of the way to help Steve.

Chin had a better idea. "You can thank me by being the best man at my wedding. I'm getting married." Danny advised Chin not to do it. Then they made a bad joke, but it was all in fun. They had another reason to celebrate. Chin refused to let Malia stand by him when he was disgraced. Now, he was a lieutenant in good standing and he had his Malia back.

The jubilant team made their way back to Seoul. Steve was poked, prodded, and x-rayed at the military hospital there. He had some cracked ribs and a bruised kidney. There were also numerous cuts and contusions. The medics pumped him full of antibiotics and pain meds. Steve was able to clean up some and eat a hot meal with the team before they boarded the plane back to Hawaii. Steve had lost track of the days. Korea was nineteen hours ahead of Hawaii, and they had almost eleven hours of flight time to go.

"I don't even know what day it is. Danny, are your parents in Hawaii yet?" Steve felt a little fuzzy around the edges. Danny was unsure of the date or time back in Hawaii. Joe finally helped them. "It will be late afternoon on Wednesday when we land. You've got more than a week before Thanksgiving. Does this mean we're invited for dinner?"

Danny knew that without the Navy backup, there would be no giving thanks this year. "Sure, Mom won't be happy unless we have a houseful for Thanksgiving. If you and your men are free, we would love to have you over for dinner."

On the flight back to the island, Gutches explained that his boss was smoothing things over with the governor. Governor Denning might give Steve a hard time about his little foray into North Korea, but there would be no other repercussions.

Steve was fighting his fatigue and his last dose of pain meds. Danny shifted closer to Steve. "You can lean on me if you want to. There is no comfortable position in the back of a cargo plane, but maybe you could get some sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

Steve picked Danny's hand up and laced his fingers through Danny's. "I was sure that my luck had run out. I didn't think that I would ever see you or Grace again. How did you get the Navy to provide backup?"

"Babe, officially no one could help us. We were getting ready to load up when Gutches and part of SEAL Team 9 drove up. They didn't forget what you did for Jacks. They claimed that they were going to Seoul on R & R. They wanted to pay their debt."

"There was no debt to be paid. They serve their country well. I couldn't let any more of them die on our island. I'm not surprised they came to the rescue. I guess I'm one of theirs too, and they leave no man behind."

Steve drifted off to an uneasy sleep. It would be a while before he recovered from Jenna's betrayal or the nightmare of Wo Fat's torture. Several times during the flight, Danny leaned over to soothe Steve. "It's okay Steve, I've got you. You're safe, and in a few hours we'll be home. You can take a hot shower, and I'll fix you my special pancakes. Grace will come over and spend the night with us. She was really worried about you."

Steve was too far gone to understand Danny's words, so Danny used the same tone of voice that comforted Grace through many nightmares. In just a few hours, they would be home for the holidays. Danny liked the sound of that a lot.

_This is the last chapter of 'Life in the Open'. The next story, 'Home for the Holidays', will be posted soon._


End file.
